Bedtime Stories
by Sailor Midnight
Summary: Teaser uploaded Here's a small snippet of the sequel. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed this story. R&R, please. Summary: Small Lady refuses to go to bed and the Scouts have to tell their versions of their favorite fairy tales.
1. Bedtime Stories: Prologue

Title: **Bedtime Stories **

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, the Scouts, or any other recognizable characters. I have no official permission to use them, but I am making $0.00 for this story, so please don't sue me. The character, Jennifer DeVir/Sailor Midnight is my creation. If anyone wants to use her in a story (yeah, right) please ask me first. Thanks! 

Feedback is welcome at: silver_blaze99@yahoo.com or jennybeth@cox.net 

Note: I use the English names of the Scouts and their enemies. DIC might not do a great job at dubbing Sailor Moon, but since I don't speak Japanese, the only Sailor Moon episodes I've seen are the ones on Cartoon Network. 

Note 2: This takes place in the future. It's in Crystal Tokyo and Serena and Darien are queen and king. This takes place when Reeny (Small Lady) is pretty young, about four or five years old. The Scouts are pretty much ageless, so their ages really don't matter in this fic. I also have Sailor Midnight as part of the Scouts who help protect the royal family. 

Here are the couples: 

Serena (Serenity) and Darien (duh!) 

Amy (Mercury) and Greg 

Raye (Mars) and Chad 

Lita (Jupiter) and Ken 

Mina (Venus) and Andrew 

Jennifer (Midnight) and Jedite 

Last Note: Most of these stories are based on Disney and/or other animated versions of the tales. I have read some of the originals, but found that they were a little too depressing or graphic. So I used the parts of stories I liked, and filled in the rest.

Summary: The Scouts tell their versions of famous fairy tales. 

Prologue: Putting the brat to bed 

Night had fallen on the grand city of Crystal Tokyo. The Moon, a symbol of hope and strength, illuminated the sky and bathed the entire city with its silver rays. Everyone was settling down and getting ready to fall into a peaceful slumber. The same could be said for everyone in the grand crystal palace in the center of the prosperous city. Well, almost everyone. 

"But I don't wanna go ta bed. I'm not sleepy," pouted the pink-haired girl. She was a mirror image of her mother: everything from her unique hairstyle to the crescent shape mark on her forehead to her frowning expression. She was dress in pink pajamas with matching bunny slippers and was holding a pink blanket. She was standing on the middle of her bed, hands on hips and looking at her caretakers defiantly. 

The group surrounding her sighed. She was always difficult to put to bed, but tonight seemed to be the worst. The guardian of Mercury tried to reason with the little imp once again, 

"Small Lady, you have to go to bed. If you don't get enough sleep you'll be cranky all day tomorrow." 

"Yeah, tomorrow you have a big day, munchkin. You need plenty of sleep," stated the Beauty from Venus. 

"No." The group groaned as the dreaded word escaped her lips. The girl was just as, or even more, stubborn than her parents. The brunette from Jupiter picked up the girl's discarded stuffed rabbit and handed it to the obstinate child. 

"Reeny, you have to go to bed now. Please. For us?" she pleaded, but only getting a firm headshake from the girl. 

"No." 

"Now, look! Go to bed now or…" started the short-tempered red planet guardian. The final girl in the room elbowed her before she finished. This girl was from no single planet and that sometimes gave her an unusual opinion on things. 

"Mars!" scolded the fiery redhead. Turning to the still standing youth, she talked soothingly, "Reeny, we'll make you a deal. Each of us will tell you a story," At the mention of stories the girl perked up, "but we will only do this if you promise to try and go to sleep. If you continue to stay up, we will stop telling the stories. Do we have a deal?" The pink-haired, pig-tailed girl looked at the guardian's outstretched hand suspiciously. She openly examined the young women's face for any catch. Finally, she made her decision. 

"Okay," she said as she shook the offered hand. The rest of the group breathed a sigh of relief as the girl allowed herself to be tucked in. They then panicked. _Who is going to go first? The young child looked expectantly as the Scouts settled around her bed: two on either side of her head, two at the end of her bed, and the remaining Senshi sitting in an armchair near the bed. _

"These had better be good," threaten the girl. Sailor Venus suddenly thought of favorite tale of hers and volunteered to go first. 

"Once upon a time…" 


	2. Bedtime Stories: Chapter One

(disclaimer in prologue) Chapter One: The Beautiful Sleeping Venus 

Once upon a time there was a beautiful kingdom. Although the kingdom was peaceful and prosperous, the king and queen of the land were sad. They had yet to conceive an heir to throne. Years passed and the royal couple prayed and prayed, and one day their prayers were answered. They had a beautiful baby girl. The king and queen were so happy that they named their daughter Venus, in honor of her beauty and their love for her. 

Everyone celebrated the princess's birth. A holiday was declared on her christening and the entire kingdom was invited to it. Among the guests was a king from a neighboring kingdom and his only son, young Prince Andrew. The infant princess's parents and the visiting king suddenly came up with a grand plan: Venus and Andrew would be married and join their two kingdoms forever. 

The christening was a joyous and blessed occasion. Even the three good fairies came and each gave the young princess a gift. 

The first fairy gave the girl the gift of happiness. The second fairy gave her the gift of beauty both in song and form. The third fairy was just about to give her gift when a large explosion of thunder and smoke filled the room. When the smoke cleared, it revealed the evil enchantress, Beryl. The entire chamber filled with a mystified silence and stood frozen in horror as the evil sorceress moved toward the young princess. 

"My dear king and queen. I must apologize for my tardiness, but I did not know about this celebration until last moment. I think it was quite rude of you to not invite me," she said with venom in her voice. She took another step toward the child and the distraught queen moved to her daughter's side. 

"Please, Mistress Beryl, don't harm my child. She has done nothing to earn your scorn," she begged. 

"She shall take your punishment, my Queen. She shall live happily, until her eighteenth birthday. On the day she turns eighteen, she shall prick her finger on a spinning wheel, and die." Beryl, finished with her curse, laughed cruelly and disappeared in another flash of smoke. The king and queen begged the fairies to save their child. The third fairy, who had yet to give Venus her gift, addressed the royal parents sadly, 

"My king and queen, I'm afraid I can't erase the evil spell cast upon your child. Beryl's evil magic is too strong. I can soften it though. When the young princess pricks her finger, she shall not die; she will only fall into a deep slumber. She will awaken with true love's first kiss." 

Not satisfied with the fairy's gift, the king ordered all the spinning wheels in the kingdom to be burned. The fairies told him that it wouldn't be enough and that Beryl could conjure a million spindles if she wanted. The fairies suddenly had an idea and told it to Venus's parents. They would take Venus into hiding and bring her back on her eighteenth birthday. If nobody knew where she was, then the curse may not come true. Sadly, the king and queen agreed and the fairies took the princess deep into the woods, and renamed her Mina. 

Years and years passed and Mina grew up to be a beautiful young woman. The three fairies had stopped using their magic in order for the child to have a normal childhood and became parental figures for the young girl. Mina looked to the three for friendship, comfort, and guidance. But what she really longed for was love. Although she loved her 'aunts' dearly, she wanted the love of a man. 

On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Mina was sent out by her aunts to pick some flowers. They really wanted to get her out of the house so they could throw a huge party for her. Mina skipped through the brightly lit forest, humming softly to her self. Birds, rabbits and other creatures of the woods came up to her for they were also her friends. She started to waltz with an imaginary prince and she closed her eyes and swayed to a silent rhythm. The birds flitted around her, chirping and singing with her. 

Not too far away, Prince Andrew was also enjoying the solitude of the forest. He was worrying about the next day. His father had announced that his bride-to-be would be coming home and they would be married immediately. Andrew didn't want to marry some strange girl just because his father wanted it. He wanted to be in love before he married. 

Some of Mina's forest friends saw the hansom prince and decided to surprise her. They untied the prince's cloak from around his neck and flew away with it. Andrew stood up and gave chase. He was led to a clearing where a young woman was dancing. His breath caught in his throat when he laid eyes on the beautiful girl. The girl wore peasant clothes, but even her simple clothes enhanced her beauty. Her long blond her cascaded down her shoulders and the only decoration in it was a bright red bow that held her hair away from her face. Her eyes were closed and she hummed a beautiful melody; one that Andrew knew he had heard before. 

Not wasting another moment, the prince strode over to the girl. He gently took hold of her hands and started to dance with her. Mina's eyes flew open and she almost stopped, but she looked at Andrew, smiled, and kept dancing. She looked over the prince as she continued to waltz with him. He had short, dirty blond hair and kind blue eyes. He was tall and broad, and looked very strong, but also had a gentle air about him that made Mina feel safe in his arms. 

As the two danced, they talked and laughed. Mina felt a strange feeling come over her and suddenly knew that this was the man she was to spend the rest of her life with. The prince felt the same and begged Mina to meet him again the next day. Not knowing that he was the prince, she agreed and sighed as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Also clueless about the woman's identity, Andrew promised himself that he wouldn't marry some stuffy princess, even if it meant that he would give up his crown. But for his beautiful peasant girl, he would do anything. 

The two went their separate ways, promising that they would meet again. 

While Mina was out, her aunts started to decorate their small cottage in celebration of Mina's birthday. They had very little practice with ordinary ways of doing things, and ended up making a mess of the entire house. The eldest fairy decided that they could use their magic just this once, and in no time, the cottage was clean and decorated. Streamers and balloons and flowers hung about the rafters while a large, beautiful cake sat upon the table. For Mina's present, the fairies magically sewed a beautiful red ball gown, trimmed in gold for the princess to wear home. 

When Mina walked through the door, she was greeted with a loud "SURPRISE!!" She was taken aback when she looked around at all the decorations. When her eyes landed on the dress, she was amazed at its beauty and intricacy. The fairies then told Mina that she was really Princess Venus and that she would return to her family tomorrow. At hearing this, Mina, really Princess Venus, sadden. Her high spirits were crushed and she suddenly felt like she was going to cry. She wouldn't be able to meet the man of her dreams the next day. The fairies, thinking that she was upset to leave them, comforted her by saying that they would always watch over her. She didn't have the heart to tell them the truth, so she vowed to bury her real feelings deep inside her and do what her aunts wished. 

The fairies were not the only ones expecting the princess's return. Mistress Beryl stood in her lair, waiting for the coming day. She had noticed the fairies magic and now knew where Venus was. She decided to hide in the royal palace and wait for the girl. 

"Now, I will hurt those who have wronged me!" she exclaimed as she began to gather her dark magic. 

Princess Venus and the fairies arrived at the royal palace early the next morning. Venus was wearing her elegant dress and matching bow and looked every inch a princess. Although she was glad to be reunited with her parents and had a smile on her face, her heart was sad. She knew that she was to be married to complete stranger and would never see the man she truly loved. A fantastic celebration was held in Venus's honor and it lasted for hours and hours. Everyone was there, except her royal fiancé, who seemed to be missing. 

Unable to continue to stand the joyous festivities while her heart broke, Venus fled to the top tower of the palace. Upon entering the topmost room, Venus encountered the evil Beryl. Beryl stood beside a spinning wheel and smiled as the girl entered. 

"Welcome home, young princess," Beryl said coolly. 

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" questioned Venus. 

"I'm a sorceress and I know that you are not happy. You love a man that you will never see again." Venus nodded, tears starting to fill her eyes. 

"Worry not, Princess. I can help you. All you have to do is make a wish and touch the spindle on this spinning wheel. Your wish will then be granted," said Beryl. Venus, not having any reason to distrust the stranger, did as she said. As soon as she pricked her finger on the needle, she collapsed and fell into an enchanted sleep. Satisfied that her work was done, Beryl disappeared in a flash of black smoke. 

The fairies found Venus moments later. They had worried about her when she had left the ballroom. They had known that the curse hadn't been broken quite yet, and were horrified to find that they were too late. Not wanting anyone to worry, the fairies cast a sleeping spell over the entire castle. Soon everyone was asleep. 

The fairies placed the fair Venus on a soft bed and surrounded her with beautiful flowers. They then sought out to find the princess's true love so he could break the spell. 

Beryl went back to her lair to gloat over her victory. On her way, she came upon Prince Andrew, who had stood waiting for his beloved. The sorceress tricked the prince to follow her to her lair, and captured him. She locked him up, for she knew that he could break the spell placed upon Venus. To further foil any rescue attempt, Beryl grew an evil, dark, magical forest around the palace. 

For an entire year the prince was locked in Beryl's lair. Finally, the three fairies found Andrew and helped him gain his freedom. They gave him a magical sword and shield and pointed him the direction of his beloved. 

The prince hacked and chopped at the forest and finally got the palace's main gate. The evil sorceress was waiting for him as soon as he crossed the moat. Beryl, furious at the prince, changed into a fierce dragon right before Andrew's eyes. She spouted fire at the courageous man, but his mystical shield absorbed her evil flames. He continued to advance on demon creature and thrust his enchanted sword deep into her heart. Beryl screamed in pain and instantly melted into nothing. 

The exhausted prince bounded up the palace stairs and practically flew to the highest tower. When he entered the lofty room, he gasped. Venus was as beautiful as ever, sleeping peacefully on her soft bed. Not wasting another minute, Andrew strode over to her side and knelt. He took her hand in his and placed a soft kiss on her parted lips. 

Venus's eyes fluttered open. She was extremely confused, but was happy to see her love again. Andrew was so happy that she was awake that he kissed her again. All around the castle, all the people stirred from their long slumber. They woke up and carried about their business as if nothing had happened. The Venus's parents and Andrew's father were arguing about the prince's refusal to marry the prince, but were stopped short when the royal couple entered the room hand-in-hand. The orchestra started to play a soft waltz, and Venus and Andrew danced the rest of the night. The two were married soon afterward and lived happily ever after.


	3. Bedtime Stories: Interlude I

Here's the next part. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed. Hope you like!

Interlude I

Venus finished her tale with the customary "… and lived happily ever after" and found that Reeny was asleep. All the Scouts sighed in relief and got up to leave. Sailor Jupiter quietly asked, 

"Do you think she'll hold us to our promise tomorrow night?" Sailor Mercury nodded her head. 

"Yes, she will. You know Reeny, she won't stand to be cheated out a bedtime story," stated the blue-haired Scout matter-of-factly. 

"You mean we have to do this every night for the rest of the week!?!" exclaimed Sailor Mars and four pairs of hands quickly covered her mouth. The group looked anxiously to see if the fire-scout's outburst had wakened the child. Small Lady turned slightly in her sleep, but didn't wake. 

After the group had dragged Mars into the hallway, Venus exploded. 

"What are you trying to do? Wake her up?" she accused the Scout, looming dangerously close. Mars protested and a loud shouting match started. Sailor Midnight just sighed. Even though they were all thousands of years old, sometimes the Scouts regressed and acted like children again. 

"Cool it, you two. Let's just make Mars tell the next one and call it even," stated Jupiter. The arguing Scouts grudgingly agreed and all of them headed to their rooms for some much-needed rest. 

The next morning, Sailor Midnight was wandering around the palace when she suddenly had the urge to go to the royal library. She realized that it would soon be her turn to tell a tale, and she needed to get a good one. She wasn't the only one with this idea. As the space guardian rounded the corner of the children's section, she was surprised to find Sailor Mars there. The native of the Red Planet had various books in front of her and was taking frantic notes. Midnight laughed lightly and headed in her direction. 

Mars looked up and grunted a greeting. 

"Hello to you too, Mars," replied Midnight as she skimmed some of the books near Mars. Her smile soon disappeared and her face screwed into a look of disgust. 

"Ewwww. Mars, you're not going to tell her that story, are you?" 

"And why not? Snow White is a perfectly legit fairy tale. And it has a very happy ending," stated Mars. 

"Mars! You can't tell a small child a story with ritual cannibalism and being buried alive! Not to mention the queen dancing in red hot metal shoes 'til she died! You'll give Small Lady nightmares for weeks, and she'll never go to another ball ever again! I thought we wanted to put her to sleep, not terrify her!" exclaimed Midnight. 

"Oh, fine. Have it your way. I'll tone it down a bit. But I'm not making the main character a dependent little wimp." Midnight sighed as she replied, 

"That's okay, Mars. You can make the main character Supergirl for all I care, just don't tell Reeny anything too gruesome." 

That night the Scouts once again sat around the pink-haired princess's bed and settled in for a long night of story telling. Small Lady looked at them, and asked, 

"Who's next?" 

Instead of strangling the obnoxious child, Mars resigned to just tell her story. Like Venus, she started with, 

"Once upon a time…" 


	4. Bedtime Stories: Chapter Two

Chapter Two: Snow White of the Red Planet 

Once upon a time, there lived a king and queen in a magical kingdom. The queen of this magnificent kingdom was sad and depressed, for she had no children. This good queen was sewing one day in the middle of the cold winter. She accidentally pricked her finger on the needle and three drops of red blood spilled upon the white cloth she was sewing. The queen looked out the open window and made a simple wish: 

"Oh, I wish I had a daughter. A beautiful daughter with hair black as night and skin as white as snow and lips as red as blood." 

The good queen's wish soon came true and she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She was all that the queen had wanted in her child. Sadly, the queen died in childbirth and only held her daughter long enough to give her a name to match her beauty: Raye. 

The king became very depressed after the queen's death and withdrew from everyone. For the sake of his daughter, he married again, so that the girl would not grow up without a mother. Raye's stepmother was beautiful, but extremely vain and cruel. She was also insanely jealous of her stepdaughter and forced her to wear rags and work as a servant. Raye was not an ordinary princess, however, and fought constantly with her unfair stepmother. The new queen only punished her more and Raye and her fiery temper were left to clean the palace. 

Years passed and soon the young princess was seventeen. She was out gathering water one day, when a prince who was passing by heard her singing. He stopped and climbed over the walls surrounding the palace. The prince was very hansom, but had longish brown hair that often would fall in front of his face. Annoyed at his unruly hair, he pulled it back into a low ponytail in order to see the owner of the enchanting voice. As soon as he laid eyes on the beautiful girl, he fell in love. He quickly jumped of the wall and moved behind the princess. 

Raye, having heard the prince move behind her, stopped singing, turned, and swung her bucket at him. He dodged the flying bucket and it clattered to the ground. When Raye saw that it was a prince and not a robber, she blushed a bright red. He only smiled and picked up the fallen bucket. 

"I'm sorry I scared you, young maiden. Please forgive me, I only wanted to meet the person singing that beautiful song," he said softly, as he filled the bucket with water. Raye was still blushing when she replied, 

"It is I who is sorry, Prince…" 

"Chad," he supplied for her. Holding out her hand, she introduced herself. 

"I'm Princess Raye." After he kissed her outstretched hand, she curtsied low and continued, "It's an honor to meet you, Prince Chad. I apologize again. I thought you were a robber." He laughed, and Raye couldn't help but join in with him. The two began to talk and laugh, Raye totally forgetting about her chores. The prince finally asked, 

"Princess, Why are you doing these chores? Surely there are servants who can gather water for you." 

"My stepmother doesn't like me very much. She makes me do these chores and wear these rags," whispered Rayed, her eyes downcast and her cheeks burning in shame. The prince was immediately sorry he brought it up and apologized. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offended you." 

"That's okay, Prince Chad. Don't worry about it." As Raye said this, she looked up at the prince and instead saw her stepmother looking at her from the castle window. Raye let out a small gasp and begged the prince to leave. He did, but only on the condition that he could come and visit her. She happily agreed and from then on, Chad would climb over the wall and visit the princess. This occurred for over a year, and they eventually fell deeply in love. 

The queen knew about the prince's daily visits, and although she was extremely jealous, she did nothing to stop them. The queen was too vain to really care. Everyday the queen would look into her magic mirror and say, 

"Mirror, Mirror. Am I the fairest of them all." If the mirror said she was, everything was good. If another maiden was mention, the cruel queen immediately had that girl killed. This went on for years and years. Princess Raye continued to grow prettier each passing day and finally the day came when the mirror told the queen that Raye, not the vain queen, was the fairest. The queen was furious. She immediately called one of her huntsmen to her. 

"Huntsman, take the princess out to the middle of the woods and kill her. Bring her heart back to me for proof that she is dead," ordered the queen. 

"But, you highness. Kill the princess? I…" started the huntsman. 

"Silence! I want her heart here by the end of the day!" exclaimed the queen as she dismissed the man. 

The huntsman took the princess into the middle of the forest, telling her that her stepmother wanted wild flowers. Raye decided to wear a dress that her prince had just had made for her. She figured that the queen wouldn't see her out in the woods, but she also hoped that she might see her prince. 

The dress she wore had a light lilac skirt that stopped just above her ankles, letting her walk through the woodland path easily. It had a white form-fitting shirt with short puffy sleeves, and a dark purple vest that matched her violet eyes with three ruby red buttons went on top the shirt. Chad had also given her matching purple shoes and a ruby pendant with a gold chain to complete the outfit. She had always wanted to wear her new outfit for Chad, but she was afraid her stepmother would get jealous and take it. 

But now, far from her stepmother's watchful eyes, she looked around anxiously for her prince. Not really interested in picking flowers, Raye walked along the forest path gracefully, with the huntsman close behind her. 

As they went deeper in the forest, Raye started to worry. Usually, she never went this far into the forest. She turned just in time to see the huntsman draw a knife and lunge for her. Raye stepped out of the way and her attacker fell to the ground. Although not formally trained, Raye did know her to defend herself and stood in a fighting stance. The huntsman stood up and looked at the princess, and lunged again. Raye punched the man in the jaw and kneed him in the groin. The huntsman fell to the ground again and this time didn't get up. Raye took the knife from his hands and waved it threateningly. 

"Why are you doing this?" questioned the princess, her tone demanding answers. 

"The queen…sent me…to kill you," gasped the man, still in a lot of pain. Without another word, Raye took the knife and jabbed it into a tree. She then took off running deeper into the woods. She knew that her stepmother wouldn't rest until she was dead, and that meant she couldn't go back home. She ran and ran and ran, and it soon became very dark. Raye was usually very brave, but right then she was really scared. She stopped running and collapsed in exhaustion, and started to weep uncontrollably. 

The huntsman finally got up from the forest floor and retrieved his knife. He didn't want to go into the woods after the princess and decided that wolves would finish her off. Afraid of what the queen would do if he disobeyed her, the huntsman killed a small deer and took its heart to the queen. The queen was overjoyed and didn't think twice that the huntsman could have betrayed her. She went to bed that night satisfied that she was the most beautiful in the land. 

As Raye cried and sobbed in the middle of the dark forest, woodland animals surrounded her. Rabbits, birds, chipmunks, and other small rodents peeked curiously from bushes and trees, all of them wondering what she was. She looked up and, despite her predicament, smiled. The creatures decided that she wasn't dangerous and inched toward the girl. Trying to cheer her up, the birds started to sing and Raye soon joined in with them. Raye's mood lightened, and she soon saw that the forest wasn't as scary as she first thought. She wiped away the last of her tears and gently talked to the animals surrounding her. 

"Thank you. I feel much better now. But I'm afraid I need a place to stay." The animals at once sprang up and motioned for the girl to follow them. Raye followed the animals to a small clearing where a small cottage stood. Raye instantly laughed at the cute house. 

"It's so small, like a doll house!" she exclaimed and walked towards it. She knocked on the door and when no one answered, she cautiously walked in. The inside of the cottage was just as small and cute as the outside, but extremely messy. Raye snorted in disgust, 

"Whoever lives here doesn't seem to know what a broom looks like." She continued to explore the small house and the mess around her continued to grow steady worse. Finally fed up with the mess, she decided to straighten up a little. She wasn't about to do all the work herself though, so she enlisted the woodland creatures with her to help. In less than an hour, the entire place was cleaner and was livable. 

"Whoever lives here owes me, big time," muttered Raye as she started to make something for supper. She felt a little guilty about making herself at home, but she figured that the owners would get over it. She put a pot of stew over the hearth and estimated that she had a few hours to kill while it cooked. Raye suddenly felt very tired and crept upstairs, where she found seven miniature beds lined up in a row. The beds were too short for her to lie down regularly, so she stretched across a few of the beds. She quickly fell into a light slumber. 

Miles away, the owners of the small cottage started for home. They were seven dwarves who mined the surrounding mountains. The dwarves put away their picks and shovels and started to whistle as they headed back to their cottage. When they arrived home, they were surprised that it was clean and something was cooking over the fire. They looked all over the downstairs for the intruder and then crept upstairs. When they saw the girl in their bed, the dwarves shouted in surprise. Raye woke up at their exclamations and was bombarded by a dozen questions. 

"Who are you?" 

"What are you doing here?" 

"Did you clean our house?" 

"Whacha cookin'?" 

The last was asked by the smallest dwarf. The others glared at him, but Raye smiled and simply said, "Vegetable stew." Raye quickly explained about her stepmother and the huntsman and the creatures of the forest. The dwarves calmed down and they all went downstairs to eat. After they ate, the dwarves played music and had a small celebration for their guest. The group danced and laughed for hours, until Raye pointed out that it was getting late. 

The dwarves offered their beds to Raye to sleep on, and after fifteen minutes of arguing, Raye accepted. That night, all those in the little cottage slept peacefully. 

The evil queen, meanwhile, was gazing into her magic mirror and asked the dreaded question. 

"Am I the fairest of them all?" 

The mirror couldn't lie and replied, 

"The fairest of them all has hair black as night, skin of white, and lips of red. The princess lives, and is still the fairest, though you believe she is dead."  
"WHAT! SHE'S STILL ALIVE?" exclaimed the queen. She hurled the box with Raye's 'heart' in it at the wall beside the mirror. The box shattered and the mirror quickly responded to the enraged queen. 

"She is alive and quite well. She is at the small house of the seven dwarves." Still in a fit of rage, the queen smashed the mirror with her fist. Ignoring the blood and scratches on her hand the queen flew to her secret room, far down in the bowels of the castle. She quickly devised a plan for getting back at Raye. She disguised herself as an old hag and created a poisonous potion. She dipped a bright red apple into the brew and cackled insanely as the fruit absorbed the poisonous liquid. 

The next morning the dwarves left for the mines. They warned Raye that the queen would try to trick her and to stay in the house. Raye was a little miffed that they were telling her what to do, but appreciated their concern and waved goodbye as they skipped off to work. She busied herself with work around the cottage (she couldn't help herself, she had been cleaning for just about all of her life). She was sweeping just outside the front door when an old woman approached her. 

"Hello, deary. Would you like one of my delicious apples?" asked the old hag. 

"No, thank you. I don't want any." With that, Raye turned to go inside. The hag, who was really the queen in disguise, grabbed her wrist and tried again. 

"Please, I really want you to have one. You deserve an apple after all the work you've done for the dwarves." Raye's stomach growled to remind her that she hadn't eaten in a while, but she still didn't trust the woman and shook her head. The queen had one more trick up her sleeve. 

"I only want you to have one because Prince Chad wished it. He said 'Find my beloved princess and give her one of your apples, woman'. I only want carry out his orders," said the queen, holding out a poisoned apple. Raye, at the mention of her love's name, threw caution to the wind and accepted the proffered fruit. She took one bite and dropped the apple. She clutched her stomach and screamed in pain, then collapsed. The queen laughed evilly and gloated over Raye's body. 

"Hey, get away from her!" The queen looked up and saw the seven dwarves ahead of her. They had only gone a little ways into the forest. They were making Raye a bed to sleep in when they had heard her scream. The queen ran, but the dwarves chased her. They chased her up a steep mountain, where the queen lost her balance and fell into a deep abyss. That was the last anyone ever saw of the wicked queen. 

The dwarves went back to Raye, but it was too late. She was dead. Unable to bury the beautiful girl, they made a gold and silver casket for her and surrounded it with flowers. They kept a silent vigil around her for months, mourning her death. Her beauty stayed unmarred the whole time, giving her the appearance of peaceful sleep and not cold death. 

Prince Chad, who had been searching for his princess the entire time, eventually heard of a beautiful girl lying deep in the forest, her body guarded by dwarves. He traveled to see this girl and was sadden to find that it was his love. He knelt beside her and gave her one last kiss. As he moved to leave, a bright light surrounded Raye. When it disappeared, Raye slowly awoke. The prince was overjoyed that his princess was alive and embraced the disoriented girl. You see, evil magic has no power over true love and true love's kiss brought Raye back to life. Prince Chad immediately asked her to marry him, and after she answered yes, they rode off together. Raye never forgot the kindness the dwarves had shown to her and visited them often. So Princess Raye and Prince Chad, like every other fairy tale couple, live happily ever after. 


	5. Bedtime Stories: Interlude II & Chapter ...

Author's Note: These next two parts were combined because of their length. After this, have very little written. I'm working on the next parts, but school and work come first. I promise to try and have the rest up as soon as possible. I do plan on finishing this story, so just hang with me. Thanks for reading!

**Interlude II: **

Reeny, once again, was fast asleep by the time the story ended. Mars looked at Midnight as if to say 'Was that tame enough?" Midnight just rolled her eyes and followed the others out of the small princess's bedroom. Once out in the safety of the hallway, the Scouts discussed their next move. 

"So, who's the next victim?" questioned the fire Scout. 

"Well, anybody know what story they're going to tell?" asked Mercury. Just then, Queen Neo-Serenity walked up to the Scouts. She smiled as she approached her friends, but looked confused as to why they were there. 

"What are you guys doing? Is Reeny asleep?" Jupiter explained that the only way they could get Small Lady to bed was to bribe her with stories. Serenity just laughed. 

"Who's next? And can I listen to the rest of them?" she asked. 

"Only if you tell one," replied Mercury, "and I guess I'll tell the next one. I have an idea of what I'll tell." The others nodded in agreement and departed to their separate rooms. 

The next night was much like the others. The Scouts, plus Serenity, surrounded Small Lady's bed and waited for Mercury to begin. 

"Well, my story isn't very well known, but you should like it." Mercury took a deep breath and started her story. 

"Once upon a time…" 

**Chapter Three: Mercury, the Little Pear Girl**

** Once upon a time there was a greedy king. He prided himself on being the richest man in the greatest kingdom. He did not earn his riches fairly, but instead preyed upon the peasants of the kingdom. As the king's subjects grew poorer and poorer, the greedy king grew richer and richer. **

One of the above mentioned peasants owned an orchid of pear trees. At the end of every season, the king demanded that the poor farmer give him four large barrels of pears. Often the four barrels were most of the peasant's crop and he and his family had to struggle to find enough food to survive. Despite this, the farmer and his family were happy. 

The farmer had three children; the youngest was beautiful girl named Amy. Amy was a petite girl with short, dark blue hair and big, bright blue eyes. She was very quiet and shy, but was also extremely intelligent. She was also resourceful and always saved her family from starvation with her brilliant plans. 

One year, just after Amy turned eighteen, there was a great frost, and most of the pear crop was destroyed. Amy's father couldn't gather enough pears to fill his required quota. The family became distraught because if the king didn't get his pears, the poor farmer would be severely punished. Once again, Amy came up with a plan to save her family. On the morning of the day when the king's men came to gather the fruit, Amy instructed her father on what to do. 

"Father, fill up the three barrels with pears." As her father did this, Amy crouched into the fourth barrel. Her father looked upon her with horror as she continued, "Now, pour the remaining pears on top of me. The servants will never check to see if there are only pears and you will be saved." 

The farmer didn't want to loose his daughter, but there was no other choice. He was very proud of her sacrifice and hugged her goodbye before covering her with the last of the fruit. Just as he finished, the king's servants came and took the barrels away. The poor farmer feared that that would be the last time he would ever saw his precious daughter. 

As Amy expected, the servants didn't check the barrels and she was carried into the kitchen, unnoticed. In fact, nobody noticed her until the next day when the cook went to get pears for the king's breakfast. Nobody in the castle knew who the girl was or where she came from, so they decided to make her a maid in the palace. Amy went along with being a servant because she knew that if she told the truth, the king would be furious and probably kill her family. 

She was working in the garden about a week after she was found, when she met a hansom young man named Greg. Greg was the king's son and the crowned prince of the kingdom, but he didn't tell this to Amy. He had admired the beautiful girl for a while, and wanted to get to know her. The prince didn't want Amy to swoon over him so he pretended that he was just another servant working in the castle. Greg was just as or even shyer than Amy, and when her finally came up to talk to her, he didn't know what to say. 

Amy blushed when the young man approached her and the two stood in an uncomfortable silence for many minutes. Amy shyly observed Greg, taking note of his short brown hair and nervous brown eyes. Finally, they both started to talk at the same time, 

"Hi, I'm…" 

"Oh, I'm sorry…" 

"No, you go first…" 

After that the two dissolved into a fit of giggles and shyness with each other ended. Amy decided to try introducing herself again. 

"Hi, I'm Amy." 

"I'm Greg. I don't think I've met anybody as beautiful as you, Amy," replied the prince. The pair talked the rest of the afternoon and found that they had a lot in common. Greg was amazed at Amy's intelligence and realized that it was a refreshing change from the usual bimbos that he met. 

The two met quite often and became fast friends, and then lovers. The prince finally revealed his identity and Amy told him about her family. The couple hid their relationship from the king, but many of the servants saw them together. The ladies of the court also noticed and became insanely jealous of Amy. They started to spread rumors about the innocent girl and very soon the king caught wind of these rumors. Being as greedy as he was, the king had to know if the rumors were true. 

"Girl, It's come to my attention that you have boasting around the palace." Amy started to protest, but the king silenced her. 

"You have been said to boast about being able to steal the witches treasure." Amy again tried to speak out, but the king continued his tirade. 

"I want that treasure. You are not to return to the kingdom until you get that treasure." With this, the king turned and left. Amy stood in the middle of the chamber, dumbfounded. 

As the king's guards escorted Amy out of the palace, Greg rushed up to her. He was out of breath as he clasped Amy's hands and spoke softly to her. 

"Amy, I tried to talk my father out of it, but he wouldn't listen. I'm sorry," he whispered. Amy locked her gaze with his and replied, 

"Don't be sorry. It's not your fault. I'll do whatever I can to get that treasure so we can be together again." 

"And I'll wait as long as it takes for you to return." Greg gave her one last kiss and she was lead to the outskirts of the kingdom and officially banished. Amy had no food, water, clothes, or shelter and it was getting dark. Despair almost consumed her until she remembered her vow to her prince. She laid under a large tree and soon drifted off to sleep, determined to find the treasure, no matter what. 

Amy awoke the next morning to someone shaking her. She opened her eyes to find an old woman with a kind face leaning over her, worried. 

"Deary, are you alright?" questioned the woman. 

"Yes, thank you," replied Amy, getting to her feet. 

"Why are you all by yourself, honey? These woods are dangerous at night." Amy told the kind lady about her family, the pears, the prince, and finally the king's demand. The old woman smiled and said, 

"Well, it looks like you have to find that treasure." Amy looked at her curiously while the woman gave her some loaves of bread, a broom, a can of oil, and some good advice. She then pointed Amy in the direction of the treasure. Amy turned to thank her, but the woman had disappeared. Pausing momentarily to consider her sanity, Amy shrugged off the strange event and started on her journey. 

After a few days of wandering the forest, Amy came upon a small clearing. In the middle of the clearing were three ugly women walking around a large wood stove. The women were tearing out their hair and used it to sweep up the ash from the stove. 

Amy recalled an old story about evil souls put through this kind of torment. The troubled souls often would burn travelers in that stove for warmth and food. Amy shivered at that thought. She remembered the broom she had received and gave it to the women. They didn't thank her, but they pointed in the direction that Amy should go and started to use the broom instead of their hair. Amy, still quite spooked, ran away as fast as her legs could carry her. 

Not too long afterwards, Amy came upon another clearing. She sensed danger, but although she looked all around the glade, she couldn't find anything unusual. 

She was halfway through when two vicious wolves jumped in front of her. Amy fell to the ground with a startled gasp. The wolves looked at her with great hunger and licked their lips in anticipation of their next meal. They crouched down, ready to pounce, when Amy remembered the gifts the old woman gave her. She quickly grabbed the bread and threw the loaves to the ravenous creatures. They attacked the bread hungrily and ignored the girl inches from them. Amy didn't wait to see if they would want seconds and sprinted out of the clearing. 

Hours later, she approached a raging river. It was too deep and rough to wade and there was no material for a raft. Amy again recalled the old woman's advice and sang, 

"Clear sparkling river, 

Let me cross over." 

As her sweet voice rang though the air, the river parted and formed a path. As Amy walked through, she could see through the walls of water to the different fish that inhabited the stream. They seemed just as astounded to see her as she was to be walking on a riverbed. 

Amy finally reached the witch's palace and gazed upon the huge entrance. The door was covered in ornate writing and incantations and loomed forebodingly over the small girl. Amy tried to push it open, but it was rusted shut. Taking the final gift, she rubbed oil onto the hinges and the door opened easily. 

Amy cautiously walked into the abandoned castle. She could see no sign of the witch or her treasure. She crept deeper into the witch's keep, carefully checking each room for the treasure. Finally, Amy reached the inter-most room and found the object she sought. 

The treasure consisted of fine jewels, gold coins, and other riches all held in a single chest. Although it looked heavy, Amy could easily lift the chest and started to run out of the castle. The witch, who had been unaware of the girl's presence until now, yelled and cursed after Amy. The witch yelled at the large entrance door, 

"Door! Don't let her out!" 

The door couldn't obey, for Amy had oiled its hinges. She rushed out the door, witch still on her heels. They approached the river and Amy sprinted across the dry riverbed. 

"River! Drown her!" screamed the witch. 

The river refused the command and Amy made it safely to the other side. Shortly after that, they came to the ravenous wolves. The witch was furious that nothing would listen to her and yelled at the wolves, 

"Eat her! EAT HER!" 

The wolves also did not listen to the old witch, and Amy passed without even a growl. She ran and ran and finally approached the three women and the stove. 

"BURN HER! BURN HER!" raged the witch, but the women just kept sweeping the ash, ignoring her command. 

Each had repaid Amy, in their own way, but the witch continued to chase her. Amy was growing tired and knew that she needed a plan. Suddenly, an idea came to her. 

Ducking behind a pear tree, Amy dumped the treasure out of the chest. She quickly filled the chest up with pears and closed it. She looked out from behind the tree to see the witch closing in on her. Amy started off toward a high cliff, the witch on her tail. The evil witch didn't even notice the switch. 

When Amy got to the edge of the cliff, she stopped and looked over. The chasm below was so deep that she couldn't see the bottom. Amy held the chest out over the side of the cliff and yelled to the witch, 

"You can have your treasure!" and threw it into the deep canyon. The witch screamed and followed it over. She was never seen again. 

Amy made her way back to the tree where she had left the treasure and was surprised to find the kind old woman guarding it. When the woman saw Amy, she smiled. 

"Good job, my child. You have rid the kingdom of the evil witch. Your pure heart and great intelligence has helped you overcome all obstacles. Here is your reward." As the woman said this, she disappeared and the witch's treasure was again contained in grand chest. 

Amy took the chest back to the greedy king. Before she met the king though, Greg ran up to her and whispered in her ear, 

"When my father asks what you want for a reward, ask for the barrel of pears in the kitchen." 

Confused, Amy agreed and appeared before the king. The king was astounded when Amy told him her tale, and exclaimed, 

"Well done! For doing this great deed, you can have anything your heart desires." 

"You majesty," said Amy, "All I ask for is the barrel of pears that are in the kitchen." 

The king happily agreed for he had expected for her to ask for great riches or something like that. The barrel was rolled into the great chamber and presented to Amy. She was about to reach for a pear, when Prince Greg rose from the barrel. 

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded the king. 

"Father, I love this girl and because she chose me for her reward, I ask for your permission to marry her," replied Greg, evenly. 

"Well…I…uh…" stuttered the king. For the first time in his life, he was speechless. 

The king eventually agreed and Amy and Greg were married. Amy's family, who were ecstatic when they found out that their young daughter was alive, moved into the palace. A few years later, the king passed away. Greg became king and Amy became queen. The royal couple gave money to the poor and stopped heavily taxing the peasants. Soon, everyone in the kingdom was well off and everyone was happy. Amy and Greg live long lives, and like most fairy tales, happily ever after. 


	6. Bedtime Stories: Interlude III

Hey everyone! Sorry this one took so long. Real life and homework got in the way not to mention major writer's block. Oh well. Spring break is coming up and I should be able to write more. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed! The more reviews I get, the faster I try to get these chapters out. Um...I think that's it, so enjoy the next part!

Disclaimers in the prologue.

Interlude III:

As Mercury finished her story, her companions gave her all thumbs up. Reeny, once again, was fast asleep. She clutched her pink blanket close and sucked silently on her thumb. Neo-Queen Serenity kissed the sleeping girl lightly on the forehead and exited the quiet room with her close friends. When they were outside, everyone started to congratulate the blue-suited Sailor. 

"Good one, Mercury. You were right, I had never heard that story before," stated Venus. 

"I thought it was great! The princess was just like you!" exclaimed Serenity. 

"I think we have all been inserting ourselves into the stories," observed Midnight, "I definitely think it's cool. It gives them a neat twist." The other Scouts agreed with her. Then the dreaded question was asked: "Who's next?" 

No one volunteered. The three who were left pointed to each other and then burst out laughing. 

"It's getting late. Let's figure it out tomorrow," said Jupiter as she stifled a yawn. The others quickly agreed and went to bed. 

The next morning, the Scouts sans Sailor Mars, were lounging in the royal gardens with the queen. They laughed and giggled like schoolgirls and spread around all the gossip of the palace. Sailor Mars came running out shouting, 

"I have an idea!" 

"That's a first, Mars," teased Serenity. The raven-haired Scout stuck out her tongue at the royal pain, and continued to talk. 

"You three can draw straws to see who goes next. Whoever gets the short straw will have to tell the next story." Sailor Midnight, Sailor Jupiter, and Neo-Queen Serenity shrugged collectively. It seemed fair enough. 

Mars produced three straws, proving that one of them was indeed shorter than the other two. She then turned her back and closed her fist around the straws, making it impossible to tell which one was the shortest. She then turned back to the group and extended her fist. The three Scouts grabbed one straw each and pulled them out at the same time. 

"Ah, man! I got the short one," complained Sailor Jupiter. She then brightened, "But I think I know what I'm going to tell." 

That night, like the previous nights, the Scouts gathered around Reeny's bed. Jupiter took the seat next to Small Lady's head and everyone settled in for another night of story telling. 

The lightning Scout handed Reeny a beautiful rose, red and perfect. The small girl looked at the brunette curiously. 

"It's a prop. An important part of my story is a magical rose, so I picked one from the garden to help set the mood." Small Lady was now very interested and listened to Sailor Jupiter with wide eyes. 

"Once upon a time…" 


	7. Bedtime Stories: Chapter Four

Chapter 4: Jupiter and the Beast

Once upon a time, there was a large and prosperous kingdom. Everything about the land was beautiful, especially the royal castle. The white palace sat upon a large hill and could be seen by everyone all around the kingdom. The castle had everything a person could ever want: lovely gardens, a grand library, high towers, and other similar things. 

The king and queen of this kingdom passed away and the throne was passed to their sixteen-year-old son. Their son, whose name was Kenneth (or Ken for short), was spoiled and selfish. Although he had everything, he wanted more and refused to share his fortunes with anybody. His servants and guardians would often try to correct his behavior, but were afraid of his terrible temper. The prince's behavior continued to grow worse and worse. 

One cold and stormy night, an old beggar woman came to the palace. The servants let her in, for she was shivering and looked extremely weak and cold. The prince demanded to know who she was and what she was doing there. She simply replied, 

"Your majesty, I beg you to let me spend the night here. I am far from home and have nowhere else to go. I'm afraid I can't offer you money in exchange, but I can give you this perfect rose. Please, your majesty…" The prince cut her off, 

"Say no more, you old hag. I don't want you or your rose in my palace. GO!!" yelled Ken. 

"I beg you to reconsider, my lord," cautioned the woman, "I may be ugly on the outside, but you should not judge people based on appearances. Please let me stay." Ken didn't even say anything; he simply pointed at the door. 

In that instant, the ugly hag transformed into a beautiful enchantress. The prince, realizing his mistake, fell to his knees and begged for forgiveness, 

"Please, I didn't know…" 

"Enough," the woman said coldly, "You have no love in your heart. I cannot and will not forgive you. You will have to be taught a lesson…" As she trailed off, she waved her wand, and magic filled the castle. The castle became dark and foreboding and a dense forest surrounded it. The inhabitants of the castle were transformed into household objects, but could still walk and talk like humans. Lastly, the sorceress turned the prince into a hideous beast, with sharp fangs and claws. As Ken howled in rage, the enchantress calmly recited his punishment, 

"This rose will bloom until your twenty-first birthday. Before then, you must learn to love another, and she must love you in return. If this happens before the last petal falls, the curse will be broken. If not, you will remain a beast," She raised her wand and slowly faded away, but her last words echoed through the now dark castle, 

"Forever." 

The prince, in a fit of rage, destroyed all the paintings of his former self and locked himself inside his room. The enchantress had taken a little pity on the poor monster, and had given him a magic mirror, which would show him anything he wanted. The mirror showed him the life that he was no longer apart of. 

Years passed, and Ken fell into despair. For who would ever fall in love with a hideous beast. 

Not too far from this palace, there was a small village. The village was quiet and actually pretty normal. Everyone was happy and content. Well, almost everyone… 

There was one girl there named Lita. She and her father had moved to this small village soon after Lita's mother died, about ten years ago. Growing up without a mother figure, Lita became a tomboy and loved to do "boy" things like fighting, hunting, and reading (for many women in the village did not know how to read and couldn't understand why Lita enjoyed doing so). Her father did not think it was odd for her to enjoy these types of activities, so he always encouraged and supported her. Lita became an outcast for her wild ways and did not have many friends. Through the years she grew up to be very beautiful, but no guy would court her (Mainly for the fear that she would beat them up if they asked). 

Lita's father, Maurice, was also a misfit in the small village. He was determined to be a great inventor. Many of his inventions didn't turn out the way he planned and often blew up in his face. Despite this, he would continue to make up and build crazy inventions. 

One September morning, Lita walked slowly through the town, her nose in a book. She wore an apron over her favorite green dress and her beautiful brown hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. Her green eyes scanned each page and never looked up as she glided through town. Many people stopped and stared as the young women went by, but they would say nothing more to her than a quick "Hello". 

After completing her errands, Lita headed out of the small town. Nephrite, the town's hunk/egotistical brute stopped her at the edge of the village. 

"Hello, Lita," said Nephrite, trying to get her to look up. 

"Hello, Nephrite." It didn't work and Lita just kept walking. Nephrite stepped in front of her and took the book she was reading. Lita pouted and grabbed for the book, but Nephrite kept it out of her reach. 

"You know, it's pretty strange for a girl to read. How can you read this when it doesn't have any pictures?" 

"Well, some people use their imaginations, Nephrite. Good day," she replied as she finally retrieved her book. 

"Now hold on a second. Why don't you come with me and we can go to the tavern and…" started Nephrite. Lita interrupted him, 

"I don't think so. Not today. My father needs help in his lab…" Just as she said this, a loud explosion sounded from her cottage on the hill and smoke billowed from its windows. With a startled gasp, Lita raced toward the small house while Nephrite laughed at her "crazy" father. 

Pushing through the cellar door, Lita coughed and gasped as she breathed in the thick smoke. She searched frantically for her father, fearing the worst. 

"Papa. PAPA!" she yelled looking around blindly. Lita heard labored breathing further in the lab and moved toward the sound. She was relieved to hear her father call back to her a moment later. 

"Lita?" questioned Maurice. The smoke thinned and cleared to show a soot-covered, but other wise unharmed, Maurice standing next to a weird looking contraption. Lita smiled as she ran over and hugged her father. 

"Thank goodness you're alright? What happened?" 

"This dang invention blew up in my face. You know, I'm never going to get this thing to run! If I had half a mind…" Maurice continued to rant and ramble about his ruined invention. Lita rolled her eyes; she had heard this speech a hundred times before. 

"You will get it to work, and you'll win first prize in the fair tomorrow," stated Lita. 

"Really, you think so?" asked her father, looking doubtful. 

"I know so, Papa. Now, let's get this thing working!" she exclaimed and grabbed some tools. Both father and daughter worked for hours on the invention. In the end, Lita was a sooty and dirty as her father, but they got the contraption to work. The machine could now chop wood and stack it, without anyone even lifting an ax! As Lita and Maurice celebrated, Lita looked down at her soiled clothes and was reminded of her conversation with Nephrite. 

"Papa, do you think I'm strange?" she asked shyly. 

"No, of course not! Where would you ever get such a crazy idea?" 

"Well, the people in town think I'm…odd because I read and fight and…" started Lita. Her father interrupted her, 

"Nonsense. If those people had any sense at all, they would see that you are a beautiful, well educated girl that any man in town would lucky to have as a wife." 

"Thank you, Papa!" exclaimed Lita, hugging him and grateful that he understood. 

"Now, hitch up the horse. I need to leave tonight if I want to get to the fair on time!" 

After Maurice left, Lita went straight to bed. The next morning consisted of chores and cleaning the mess that was left in the basement. By noon she had finished all the cleaning and settled down to read. She had only sat down for a moment when a loud knock sounded from her front door. Lita looked through the peephole in the door and saw Nephrite, dressed in his best suit and preening himself. With an annoyed sigh, Lita opened the door and rudely asked what her wanted. He took this as an invitation to come in and strode past her. Lita barely kept her temper in check and followed. 

"Lita, you are about to become the happiest girl in the village and all your dreams are going to come true," stated Nephrite proudly. 

"Yeah, why's that?" Lita didn't really care, but she was trying to be polite. 

"Because, you are going to be my wife. Isn't that great? We'll have the perfect home: fresh kills on the fire, a couple of dogs, nine or ten children…" Lita interrupted him, her patience wearing thin, 

"I'm not going to be your wife, Nephrite. First of all, you didn't ask; you just demanded. Second, I wouldn't marry you if you were the last man on earth!" The last part was yelled so loud that the next kingdom could have heard her protests. 

"I bet I could change you mind," he said, as he leaned in to steal a kiss. Lita had other ideas and kneed him in the groin. Nephrite doubled over in pain and groaned. Lita wasn't finished; she grabbed him by his long brown hair and dragged him to the door. She opened it and before she pushed him out, she whispered in his ear, 

"Now, if you ever come back, you will be in a lot more pain than you are now." She then shoved him out the door into a waiting mud puddle. The whole town, which was there because Nephrite was going to announce the engagement, laughed and laughed as Nephrite coughed and sputtered in the mud. Anger flashed in his eyes. _No one insults me!_ As Nephrite stalked off, a plan formed in his mind. Yes, that beautiful, but willful wench would pay. 

Meanwhile, on the road, Maurice was lost. Being the man he was, he had refused to stop at the last town and ask for directions and instead just wandered aimlessly through the forest. The forest grew thicker and thicker and the path became more unkempt and everything became darker. Maurice was beginning to realize that he was going the wrong way when a pack of wolves emerged from the bushes. The wolves growled and snapped at Maurice and his horse. Frightened, the horse reared and bolted, throwing Maurice off in the process. Maurice watched with growing fear as his horse and invention disappeared from sight while the wolves closed in. 

Not waiting for the wolves to act, Maurice ran in the opposite direction, praying that he could find shelter. The wolves followed close on his heels and snapped whenever he tripped. Maurice came upon a huge gate and without thinking of the consequences, threw it open and ran inside, slamming it closed behind him. 

The wolves snapped and growled, but could not get in. As if Maurice's luck couldn't get any worse, it started to rain and soaked him to the bone. Maurice, weary from his near death experience, trudged to the castle. Tired as he was, he was unaware that he left his hat on the ground near the gate. Once inside the huge structure, Maurice found that the place was deserted. 

"Hello. Is anyone there?" he called into the darkness. Maurice listened carefully and could've sworn that he heard whispering. 

"Please, I've lost my horse and I'm soaked. I'll I want is a place to stay until the storm is over." This time the whispering was louder and he could just make it out. 

"Don't say a word, Molly. Not..A..Word." 

"But, Melvin, he's soaked." A sec later, "Welcome, Sir. Come in and make yourself comfortable." 

"Who's there?" questioned Maurice as he reached for a nearby candelabrum. He waved the light in the direction he thought he heard the voice, but only saw a small clock resting on a table. 

"Over here!" Maurice turned his head and saw that the candelabrum was talking! He immediately dropped it and with an "EKKK!!" it fell to the floor. _Or should I say she?_ Maurice thought as he noticed that the small object definitely had a feminine shape and a high pitched voice. 

"I'm so sorry!" exclaimed Maurice as he picked Molly off the floor. He gently set her back onto the table and noticed that the clock had moved. Now it bounced forward and started to scold the candelabrum. 

"I told you, Molly! You shouldn't have done that!" he whined. Maurice, being the inventor he was, could resist picking Melvin up and trying to see how he worked. Melvin snorted and shouted and indignant "Excuse You!" 

"I'm sorry, it's just that…" Maurice's response was interrupted by an itch in his nose followed by a loud sneeze. 

"Sir, you must be weary and cold. Follow me." Molly hobbled to a room off the main hallway. Melvin protested as Maurice was led to a comfortable chair in front of a roaring fire. Ilene the teapot and her son, Sammy the small teacup, offered Maurice hot tea while a dog-like footrest nestled under his tired feet. 

Maurice felt quite comfortable and didn't even notice the large shadowed that loomed over the chair. The figure let out a deafening roar that extinguished the fire and threw the room into darkness. Maurice shook with fear in his chair and felt something large move next to him. He floundered around, but couldn't see what was there. 

"What are you doing here?!?" demanded the figure. It yelled again when Maurice didn't answer. "ANSWER ME!" 

"I..I'm s-sorry. But I lost my way and…" Maurice started to stammer but was interrupted when a large paw grasped the front of his shirt and dragged him into the middle of the room. The moonlight shining in a large window gave off just enough light for Maurice to see his captor. It was a huge beast! It had sharp fangs and claws and angry eyes. Maurice didn't want to stare but found that he was paralyzed with fear. The beast grew angrier with this. 

"So, you think you can stare at me? You need to be taught a lesson." The beast dragged Maurice up to the highest tower, while Molly, Melvin and the others protested. He didn't listen and just threw the terrified man into the cell and locked him in. 

"And that's where you'll stay. Forever." 

Lita was going about her morning chores when the family horse came galloping to the house. The horse was still attached to the cart and invention, but Maurice was gone. Lita calmed the frightened horse, but was scared for father. 

"Where is he?" she asked the horse, although not really expecting an answer. "Take me to him." With this command, Lita unhooked the horse from the cart and mounted him in one leap. With a loud shout, Lita kicked the horse's flanks and they rode into the woods. 

Sometime later, Lita found the gate that her father had escaped through and saw his hat. Dismounting and leading the horse inside, she made her way to the dark castle. After securing her horse's bridle to a post, she entered the castle and called for her father, "Papa. PAPA!" 

Molly and Melvin were bickering as usual when they heard Lita's calls. They rushed to see who it was and was astounded to find that it was a girl. 

"A girl! Maybe she'll break the spell!" exclaimed Molly. 

"Yes, perhaps. That man must be her father," reasoned Melvin. They looked at each other and nodded. While Molly ran up ahead to the tower, Melvin pushed open a door to lead Lita in that direction. It worked because Lita soon made her way up to the high tower. She saw Molly's light a followed her up the winding stairs. 

"Papa, where are you? Papa…PAPA!!" she cried when she spied her father. She quickly grabbed a lit torch and ran to the cell's door. 

"Lita. You've got to leave…" -Cough- -Cough- 

"No, Papa. I'm getting you out of here," she replied while looking for a key. A loud growl from behind her startled Lita and she dropped the torch into a puddle of water. 

"Who's there?" asked Lita, trying to sound braver than she felt. 

"The master of this castle. You are trespassing. Leave," stated a disembodied voice, it's tone leaving no room for argument. Gathering all her courage, Lita stepped toward the voice and pleaded, 

"Please, my father's sick. I'll leave, but let me take him home." 

"No. He's my prisoner." Lita thought for a moment. Then she said something that would change her life forever, 

"Take me instead. Just please, let him go." The beast started. He never thought anyone could care for another so deeply. It touched him and gave him hope. _Just maybe, she could break this spell._

"Will you promise to take his place and never leave this place? _Never_?" he asked, emphasizing the last part. Although Lita heard her father's protests, she knew that she had to agree to the voice's demands. But curiosity got the better of her and she had to know… 

"Step into the light." The beast reluctantly agreed and Lita gasped in horror. _I can't…_she thought to herself even as she too stepped forward and nodded her agreement. "You have my word." 

With that, Lita collapsed and the beast unlocked her father's cell. Maurice knelt by Lita, telling her that she was making a mistake and to take back what she said. Lita tried to reassure him, but the beast ripped him away from her and dragged him away. 

"No…wait…let me say good bye…" she cried as she looked down and saw the huge creature throw her father into a carriage looking thing that crawled off with her father. Although usually in control of her emotions, Lita couldn't help but break down into tears when she realized that she would never see her father again. 

The beast came back up a few moments later. He wasn't quite sure what to do with the heartbroken girl locked in the tower. Molly had not so subtlety hinted that the girl would probably like him better if he moved her from the tower. 

"I'll..show you to your room,' grunted the beast. 

"But, I thought…" started Lita, drying her tears. _I won't let HIM see me cry_, she thought with contempt. 

"Do you want to stay up here?" 

"Well, no…" 

"Then, come with me." With that, the beast walked out of the tower, grabbing Molly for light. Lita quickly followed. As they walked across the palace, an uncomfortable silence fell between them. The beast looked back and saw Lita surreptitiously wiping a tear from her cheek. Trying to cheer her up, the beast said, 

"The castle is your home now. You may go anywhere, except the west wing." 

"What's in the…" started Lita. 

"IT'S FORBIDON!" interrupted the beast. The silence fell once more. Finally, they reached her room. 

"Ask her to dinner," whispered Molly. The beast straightened and said, 

"You will come to dinner…That's not a request!" With that, the beast slammed the door shut. Lita's strength dissolved and she threw herself onto the nearest bed and cried her heart out. 

While waiting for Lita to make her appearance, the beast paced in front of the dinning room's large fireplace. Molly and Melvin were watching him nervously. Finally the beast turned and yelled, 

"Why isn't she here yet? I told her to be here!" As Melvin scampered to Lita's room to escort her out, Molly decided that she was sick of his temper and hopped off the mantle she was on and hobbled up to the beast. 

"Well, for one thing, she won't come down with you yelling like that! Straighten up, smile, look, well, charming. Well, try your best anyway. And another thing, you need to control your temper!" Just as Molly finished her spiel, the door creaked open. The beast looked expectantly towards the door. The door finally opened all the way revealing…a sheepish Melvin. The beast growled angrily, 

"Well, where is she?" Melvin looked incredibly uncomfortable and squirmed as the beast stared down at him. 

"She's…well…in the process of…that is…she's not coming," he finally said, bowing his head in shame as he waited for the beast to start yelling. It didn't take very long. 

"WHAT!!" roared the beast as he bounded up the steps to Lita's room. Molly and Melvin exchanged nervous looks and quickly followed. 

Lita was waiting in her room as a wardrobe and makeup mirror tried to convince her to go down. They tried everything they could think of, but Lita adamantly refused. The beast, having gotten to her room, pounded on the door and began to shout and growl at Lita. 

"You will come down for dinner!" 

"No, and you can't make me," answered Lita. Molly and Melvin had finally gotten to the door and decided to intervene. 

"Master, maybe if you tried being nice…" trailed Melvin, motioning for the beast to try again. 

"Would you be so kind as to come down for dinner?" started the beast. "Please?" he added after a pointed look from Molly. 

"No, thank you," came Lita's polite, but forceful answer. The beast, having totally lost his temper, yelled back, 

"Well, then you shall not eat at all! Starve to death for all I care." He said as he stalked away. Molly and Melvin sighed in defeat. Things were definitely not starting off well. 

Hours later, the door to Lita's room creaked open and the young girl quietly snuck out. Lita didn't want to admit it, but she was very hungry and would even eat with the beast to get some food. It was around midnight and nobody in the castle was awake. Lita quickly found the kitchen and decided to make herself a snack. Not wanting to wake any of the sleeping appliances, Lita opted to make a sandwich out of some bread and meat she found in the kitchen's expansive pantry. 

Lita was happily munching on her sandwich when she heard voices come into the kitchen. Lita, afraid that it might be the beast, got up to leave, but soon realized that it was only Molly and Melvin. 

The servants, on the other hand, had been looking for Lita when they found that she wasn't in her room. Melvin gasped in shock when they found the girl, eating food without the beast's permission. Molly just rolled her eyes at the overreacting clock. Lita spoke before either of the servants. 

"I'm sorry, but I was really hungry." 

"There's no excuse! You were told not to eat…" Molly elbowed Melvin before he could finish. 

"Miss, we know that you were probably hungry. We were actually on our way to get you some thing to eat. Anyway," said the candelabrum, giving the clock a pointed look before he could interrupt, "we were wondering if you would like a tour of your new home?" 

Lita nodded vigorously and said, "Yes, I would like that very much! Thank you!" 

Molly and Melvin showed her many of the rooms of the castle: the stables, the gardens, the ballroom and many others. Soon, the trio approached a dusty stairway. 

"What's up there?" The two small appliances rushed ahead and blocked Lita's way. 

"Oh, nothings up there. The west wing has nothing but dirt and dust…" Melvin tried to convince her, but Lita interrupted him, 

"The west wing! I wonder what he hides up there?" Lita whispered as she started past Molly and Melvin. They blocked her again and this time Molly said, 

"We could show you the tapestries of the north hall, or maybe the library, or…" 

"You have a library!?!" exclaimed Lita, momentarily distracted from the west wing. Molly and Melvin agreed excitedly. 

"Yes, a huge one!" 

"Biggest one you'll ever see!" 

"You wouldn't be able to read all the books in there in a hundred years!" The servants' voices died away as they made their way to the library. Lita's curiosity took control of her and she turned and made her way back up the stairs. 

At the top of the stairs, Lita found a single room. The hall before it was unkempt and even dustier than the stairs. Lita crept into the lone room and gasped when she saw what was inside. 

The entire room was in shambles. Furniture and tapestries were strewn about, ripped and broken. The bed in the room was no more than a mass of feathers and cloth. Lita walked through the room, trying not to step on anything. She was drawn to a large, torn portrait. It was of a young man, but the only part of the face that was intact was the eyes. Lita took a closer look. _Those blue eyes look very familiar._ Shrugging, Lita turned away from the painting and continue through the room. She finally came to the end of the room and found two French-style doors that opened to a large balcony. The only piece of furniture that wasn't overturned and broken stood in front of the door. 

Lita was about to leave when something caught her eye. On the table was a glass bowl, and inside the bowl was a beautiful rose. It floated as if by magic and sparkled in the moonlight. Lita approached it and stared at it in wonder. Against her better judgment, she lifted the protective glass and was about to touch it when she heard a familiar growl. She turned to find the beast looming over her. 

The beast pushed her roughly aside and placed the glass back over the rose. His head sharply and his eyes narrowed as he stared at Lita. Lita backed away slowly and tried to apologize, but the beast refused to listen. 

"Do you know what you could have done!?!" roared the beast, coming closer to the frightened girl. In his rage he lunged for her, but Lita dodged and ran out of the room and down the stairs. At the bottom, she leaped over Molly and Melvin who started to protest. Lita ran straight out to the stables, muttering to herself, 

"Promise, or no promise, I can't stay here another minute." She saddled her horse and leaped onto his back, riding as fast as she could away from the castle. As she rode through the forest, tree branches tore at her clothes as if trying to hold her back, but she pushed her horse through. 

Soon, she heard frightening growls behind her. Fearing that it was the beast, Lita turned and found that it was a pack of man-eating wolves. Widening her eyes in fear, she urged her horse to go faster. The horse complied and they raced further into the woods. 

The wolves were smarter than they looked and half of the group ran ahead of Lita and the horse and the pack surrounded them. Lita's horse reared in fright, throwing Lita to the ground. The horse tried to run away, but his reins had gotten tangled in some tree branches and he couldn't move. 

Lita, her hair flying out of her ponytail and her dress torn and dirty, picked up a large stick and prepared to fight the wolves off. She swiped at them two, three times and hit one of the ugly brutes in the snout. The wolves quickly disarmed her and swarmed around the defenseless girl. One of the larger wolves pounced on top of Lita and she threw her hands up to try and protect herself. She could feel the wolf's hot breath upon her skin and expect the worst. 

Suddenly, the wolf was no longer on Lita. She cautiously looked up and saw the beast throwing around the wolves like rag dolls. The vicious carnivores pounced onto him from all directions, biting and scratching at anything they could, but the beast was stronger than them. In no time, the last of the pack were scampering off, whimpering and without a kill. 

The beast's eyes held Lita's gaze for a moment before rolling back as he collapsed from exhaustion. Lita saw this as her chance to escape and was about to do so when her troublesome conscious stopped her. She looked back and realized that she owed him big time. _He did save my life after all._ Sighing, Lita untangled her horse's reins and led him over to the beast's still form. She got the beast onto the back of her horse (don't ask how she did that; it must have been due to the adrenaline rush that she still had) and headed back toward the castle, knowing that she had just given up her last chance of freedom. 

Later, Lita and the beast were sitting in front of a huge fire. As the beast sat in a huge armchair, Lita kneeled on the floor next to him, trying to clean his wounds. Both Molly and Melvin cowered behind the chair, knowing that the beast would not be a cooperative patient. 

"Oh! Don't do that!" Lita exclaimed at the beast, trying to stop him from licking his wounds. His only response was to growl at her, and to hide his injured arm away from her. _Well, two can play at this game,_ thought Lita as she grabbed his arm and roughly placed a cloth covered with disinfectant on his wound while saying, "Hold still". The beast howled in pain when the cloth came into contact and snatched his arm away. 

"That hurt!" he cried, glowering at the girl on the floor. 

"Well, if you hadn't moved, it wouldn't have hurt as much," she pointed out. 

"Well, if you hadn't run away, I wouldn't have gotten hurt," he replied. 

"If you hadn't frightened me, I wouldn't have run off." The beast had to think for a moment on that one. Then he said, 

"Well, you shouldn't have been in the west wing," he said triumphantly. 

"And you need to learn to control your temper," she shot back. "Now, hold still, this may sting a little," she said, kindly. She gently placed the cloth on the wound again, and even though he flinched, the beast didn't move. 

"Oh, and thank you," Lita said, while blushing and averting her eyes, "for saving my life." The beast didn't know what to say, but finally settled on, 

"You're welcome." 

"May I ask you a question?" Lita asked shyly. She continued before she lost her nerve, "What's you name? I mean, I don't want to just call you 'Beast'. You must have another name." The beast was dumb founded; he had never expected that question. 

"Um…My name is Ken." 

"Ken. Okay. Well, since we have never had a proper introduction, I'm Lita," she said, while holding out her hand. Ken gingerly shook it with his uninjured arm and said, 

"Nice to meet you, Lita." Something happened just then and both Ken and Lita started to look at each other in a different light. 

Many miles away, Nephrite was sitting in his favorite armchair at the local pub, grousing over his rejection. Everyone in the place was trying to cheer him up, but it wasn't working. He didn't take his vow lightly, and Nephrite was hard at work thinking of a plan to get Lita to marry him. 

Suddenly the doors flew open and Maurice stumbled in. The entire pub gasped as he started to babble incoherently. 

"He's got her! We've got to save her!" cried Maurice. 

"He's got who, old man?" questioned the bar tender, just to act like he was paying attention to his crazy ramblings. 

"Lita! He's got Lita! Won't you please help me get her back!" replied Maurice. Nephrite heard Lita's name and now was very interested in the conversation. 

"Who's got Lita? Who, Maurice?!?" he asked, getting to his feet and grabbing Maurice by the collar. Maurice twisted out of his grip and now that he had everyone's attention, stood up straight and exclaimed, 

"A beast. A huge, ugly, horrible beast!" 

The entire bar got quiet. Then everyone burst out laughing. The nearest people to Maurice spun him around and started to tease him. 

"Is the beast big?" 

"Yes, enormous!" cried the worried man. 

"With sharp claws and teeth?" asked another drunk, while creeping closer to the father and making pawing motion with his hands. 

"Very sharp!" confirmed Maurice, thinking that they all believed him. Finally, Nephrite spoke up, 

"Sure, old man, we'll help you out!" 

"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" cried Maurice, as a couple of men helped him to the door. Suddenly, the men opened the door and threw Maurice outside into the night. They slammed and locked the door before the confused man could grasp what was going on. They laughed loudly and exclaimed, 

"Good ol' crazy Maurice! Always good for a laugh!" The crowd got back to their drinking, but Nephrite stood, lost in thought. The comment had set a plan into motion in his cruel mind. Muttering to himself, he went out to make the proper arrangements. 

"Lita, you will be mine!" 

Weeks had passed and Ken and Lita were slowly adjusting to each other's company. Lita found that the castle was actually a wonderful place, teaming with life. She started to think of it as another home. She became fast friends with Ken and the servants of the castle. 

Ken also had a lot to get adjusted to. First of all, both Molly and Melvin insisted that he act 'civilized.' This forced Ken to dress nice, brush his mane, and eat properly. It was hard at first, but with Lita's patient help, he learned quickly. 

Secondly, he had to get used to living with another human. Lita was so full of energy and often dragged Ken outside to pick flowers, exercise her horse or whatever, just so the two of them could run in the sunlight. Ken found something inside him change and grow. He finally started to learn how to truly love. 

The weather became colder and snow started to fall. It was one of these snow-covered mornings that Ken was watching Lita from a balcony. Lita was walking with her horse, every once and a while stopping and petting him. She looked up and waved to Ken and he smile back. Molly and Melvin looked on approvingly. 

"I want to do something for her," stated Ken, with a look in his eyes that could only be love. Melvin immediately started to rattle off ideas. 

"Well, you could give her candy, flowers, jewelry…" 

"No, no, no. It has to be something really special. Something that she loves," interrupted Molly. Ken thought for a minute, his shaggy brow wrinkling in concentration. He suddenly smiled and exclaimed, 

"I know what!" He rushed off to get it ready, leaving Molly and Melvin to follow closely on his tail. 

Hours later, Ken brought Lita to a closed door that she had never seen before. After the adventure her first night, she learned that it was best not to snoop around the palace. Ken was about to let her in when he turned around and said, 

"You have to close your eyes." Lita gave him a look while putting her hands on her hips that clearly said that she would do no such thing. Ken gave her his best puppy-dog face and it wasn't long before she rolled her eyes and closed them. Ken took her hand and led her into the room. After drawing back the curtains, he gave the simple order, 

"Now, open your eyes." Lita did so, and gasped as she gazed upon the largest library she had ever seen. Thousands and Thousands of books lined the shelves, each one looking like they had never been read. She ran from shelf to shelf, excitedly reading the titles. 

"Do you like it?" shyly asked Ken. Lita ran back to him and gave him a huge hug. 

"Yes! It's wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" she exclaimed, looking at him with grateful eyes. Moved by her obvious enjoyment, all Ken could say was "Then it's yours." Lita immediately picked up one of the titles and sat down on the floor by the room's grand fireplace. She motioned Ken to sit next to her. 

"Come, let's read this together." Ken suddenly looked very embarrassed and Lita was afraid she said something to upset him. "What's wrong?" 

"I…I never learned to read," Ken stated. If he didn't have fur, Lita would have seen his face burn red with shame. Lita didn't laugh; she just patted the ground next to her and said, 

"Then I'll teach you." Ken was so amazed by her kindness that he actually listened to her and sat down. For the rest of the afternoon, the couple read quietly, and sat close together in front of the warm fireplace while the snow fell softly down outside. 

The night before Ken's twenty-first birthday came and he decided that it was time to declare his love. He invited Lita to a romantic night of dancing in the ballroom. Ken dressed in his best outfit and had his mane bathed and combed. He looked at himself in a full-length mirror and for once didn't see an ugly monster, but something hansom and worthwhile. He hoped that Lita would see the same. 

He made his way down the grand staircase that led to the ballroom and waited for Molly and Melvin to lead Lita out. When she came to the head of the stairs, his breath caught in his throat. _She's gorgeous!_ he thought as she carefully made her way down to him. Her soft brown hair was partially up in a bun while the rest flowed over her slender shoulders. She wore an off-shoulder gown that shimmered light green in the soft candlelight and brought out her bright green eyes. 

When she approached him, he stood dumbfounded until Molly cleared her throat and he snapped out of his daze. He offered her his arm and they glided across the floor. After a wonderful dinner, Melvin started the orchestra and the couple got up to dance. 

Ken had never really been with a girl before and didn't have any idea how to dance. Lita just smiled and did what she had been doing since she got to the castle: she taught him, with patience and kindness. Soon, they were gliding and twirling around the ballroom with practiced grace. 

Hours and hours seemed to fly by in a matter of minutes for the two. They were in their own little world and were oblivious to everything else. They did finally stop and went out to the adjacent balcony where they gazed upon the snow-covered gardens of the palace. Ken looked lovingly at Lita and asked, 

"Are you happy here?" 

"Yes," she answered truthfully, but when Ken looked into her eyes, he saw that she was saddened. 

"What is it?" he asked, holding her hands. Lita found that she couldn't lie to him and replied, 

"I only wish to see my father. Just for a moment." Lita knew that it was crazy and that she would never get her wish. Ken, without thinking, stood up and led the young girl to the west wing. He led her through the room (which he had cleaned at her insistence) and brought her to the magic mirror. She looked at him curiously, but he just said, 

"Ask it to show you anything and it will." 

"Show me my father…please," she whispered. The mirror went dark, then brightened to show the snow-white forest. Stumbling through the vines and trees was Maurice. He was blue in the face and coughed weakly before he suddenly collapsed. He had gone out alone to find Lita when no one else would and lost his way in the forest. 

Lita could feel tears well up in her eyes. Ken, who couldn't see what was in the mirror, asked what she saw. Lita's answer came out hurriedly and full of grief,

"He's sick, dying. Oh papa…" she trailed off, almost bursting into tears. Ken couldn't bear for her to be in pain. Taking a brief look at the almost-dead rose on the table beside him, he addressed Lita softly, 

"Then go to him." Lita looked up sharply. Did he just say… 

"You are released. Go to him," Ken said, his blue eyes looking deeply into her green ones. She smiled gratefully and hugged him. 

"Thank you, Ken. He means so much to me." She turned to go, but released that she still had his mirror. She started to hand it back, but he shook his head and whispered, 

"Keep it. So you can look back and remember." His hand brushed her face softly and she gave one last smile before she ran to the stables, her green gown fluttering behind her. 

Not twenty minutes later Lita and her horse sped out from the stables and into the woods. Ken, feeling heartbroken for the first time in his life, did something that he hadn't done in a long time. He howled, expressing all the grief and sadness that he felt. Now that she was gone, nothing mattered. 

Maurice woke up in the middle of his own bed with a cool cloth upon his forehead and someone holding his left hand. He blinked his eyes open and found everything blurry. "Papa?" he heard a voice asked and as his eyes cleared he saw Lita's face peering down at him. 

"Lita?" he weakly asked, trying to get up. She gently pushed him back down and nodded while rewetting the cloth and placing it back on his forehead. 

"But, how did you escape? How did you get away from the beast?" asked Maurice doubtfully. Lita just shook her head and tried to explain, 

"Papa. He let me go. Ken is really kind and sweet once you get to know him." Before he could ask if she was talking about the same beast that kept him prisoner, there was a loud banging at the door. Lita got up to see who it was with Maurice right behind her. 

When Lita opened the door, she found Nephrite standing right outside with an old, thin man next to him. Behind them, there was the entire town and a wagon with "Lunatic Asylum" written on the side. The old man addressed Lita in a calm, but eerie voice, 

"I have come to collect you father, my dear." Lita couldn't believe it. Her father wasn't crazy! What were they doing? 

"You know my father's not crazy and you'll have to get by me to take him in!" she threatened while relaxing into a fighting stance. Some of the villagers backed up, but some tall, strong men that worked at the asylum stepped forward to apprehend the 'lunatic'. Maurice stepped from behind Lita and Nephrite shouted to him, 

"Tell us Maurice, how big was the beast?" Maurice, paying no heed to Lita's pleading looks, stepped down and told the crowd about the beast. 

"He was eight, no, ten feet tall! With sharp fangs and claws!" Nephrite started to laugh and exclaimed, 

"You see he is crazy!" The men stepped forward and grabbed Maurice and dragged him to the wagon. Nephrite went up to Lita and whispered in her ear, "He won't be thrown into the asylum if you marry me." Lita looked at him, shocked. Her eyes then narrowed and she ran into the house. When she came out again, she held the magic mirror in her hands. 

"My father isn't crazy and I can prove it! Show me the beast!" she cried and held up the mirror. It darkened then flashed and showed the beast. He howled angrily and the crowd gasped. The men let go of Maurice and everyone stood mesmerized by the image in the mirror. A random person in the crowd cried out in fear "Is he dangerous?" Lita shook her head and replied, 

"No, he's sweet and kind. He might look ferocious but…" Nephrite grabbed the mirror from her hands and said, 

"If I didn't know better, I would think you had feelings for this beast." He then addressed the crowd, "The beast will come after you and your children. We have to kill it!" With a roar, the crowd agreed and a mob was formed. As they plodded to the castle, Nephrite left two men to guard Lita and her father. 

Lita knew she had to warn the beast and wasted no time in dispensing the guards. A swift uppercut and a left hook and both men were down, unconscious. Lita and Maurice rushed on their horse to warn the beast. 

The mob eventually made in to the castle and started to break down the door. Molly and Melvin went up to tell Ken, but he was so depressed that he didn't care. The entire household refused to give up without a fight and waited for the mob in the main hall. 

When the door finally gave, the townspeople found themselves in a deserted hall surrounded by furniture, Nephrite, forged ahead to find the beast while the rest went to look for other inhabitants. 

"NOW!!" yelled Melvin and the furniture attacked the surprised crowd. Dishes, tables, wardrobes and others slowly overpowered the villagers. Nephrite snuck away, unnoticed and went up the stairs. After a fierce battle, the mob finally retreated and the inhabitants of the palace cheered in victory. However, none of them realized that Nephrite had slipped away and headed toward their unsuspecting master. 

Up in the west wing, Ken was sitting on his balcony deep thought. Nephrite crept in and upon seeing the beast, loaded, aimed and shot an arrow with his bow. The arrow hit Ken square in the shoulder and he moaned in pain. The force of the arrow propelled Ken off the balcony and onto the roof below. Nephrite jumped down to the fallen beast and prodded him with his foot. 

"Come on! Get up you ugly beast!" Nephrite yelled, "Fight me!" Ken was too depressed and heart-broken to care if he died. He just turned away from the enraged man and waited for the inevitable. Nephrite kicked Ken in the back, hard, trying to get a rise out of him. No reaction. Nephrite shrugged and continued to kick and shove him closer and closer to the edge of the roof. This side of the castle overlooked a deep cliff; no one knew just how deep it was, and the legend was that it had no bottom. 

Just before Nephrite delivered the finally blow that would push him over, Ken heard Lita's voice from down below. He caught a brief glimpse of her while she urged her horse up the palace stairs and through the main door. His will to fight came back to him as he gazed at her and he quickly pounced onto Nephrite. Nephrite was so shocked that he stumbled backwards, giving Ken a perfect opportunity to grab his throat. 

Ken stared at Nephrite with pure hate while choking the life out of him. Nephrite's eyes were wide, pleading for Ken to let him go. Ken drew the frightened man to the edge of the roof, ready to drop him to his death. His gripe loosened and for a moment, and he was ready to end Nephrite's life, but something stopped him. He may have gone soft or maybe he was just crazy, but he couldn't kill him. He slowly pulled away from the edge and threw Nephrite, gasping and choking, to the ground in front of him. In a menacing growl, Ken simply said, "Get out!" and turned back to his balcony. 

"Ken!" Ken lifted his head and saw Lita flying through the door to the balcony and to the edge of the railing. She was wet and her brown hair was disheveled, but she was the most beautiful sight that Ken had ever seen. 

Ken climbed up the side of the castle, and reached out for Lita's hand. Lita's eyes suddenly widen in horror as Nephrite grabbed on to Ken and plunged a knife deep into his side. Ken, reeling in pain, flailed his arms and accidentally pushed Nephrite from his precarious perch. Nephrite lost his balance and fell off the castle roof. Only his screams echoing of the cliff's sturdy walls were left and soon those too were gone. 

Lita grabbed onto Ken's shirt and quickly pulled him over the rail. Lita laid him down, recoiling as she looked at the deep gash in his side. Faking a sad smile, she pressed her hand against his side in a desperate attempt to staunch the flow of blood. Ken weakly smiled and brushed her face with his paw. 

"You…came back," he whispered difficultly. 

"Of course I did, I couldn't let them…Oh, I should've gotten here sooner." Tears fell from Lita's eyes while guilt welled in her heart. Ken knew that he didn't have much time left, but he was determined not to leave this world until he told Lita how he felt. 

"At least…I got to see you…one last time." 

"Don't talk like that! You'll be fine, you'll see." Lita cried, denying the inevitable. Ken's breath was getting short and darkness crept at the edge of his vision but he had just enough strength to grasp Lita's small hand and whisper, 

"I….love…you…" and with a small sigh, Ken's eyes rolled back and he was gone. Lita couldn't believe it. He was dead! She clung desperately to him, sobs racking her body. 

Molly and Melvin rushed to the balcony only to find their master dead and Lita crying. 

"I love you," Lita whispered, almost inaudibly. The servants gaze were drawn from the sad sight outside to the magic rose and the last petal drifting off the dead stalk. For a few moments, the only sounds that could be heard were Lita's sobs and the spatter of rain. Then a ping was heard as a beam of light rained down. And another, and another! Soon, it was raining light instead of water. 

Lita sprang back as Ken's lifeless body was drawn into the air by an invisible force. He floated silently and turned, and a bright white light glowed underneath him. It glowed brighter and brighter until it was too bright and Lita had to look away. When the glow subsided, Ken's form floated back down to the ground and the beams of light ceased to fall. Ken was covered by his cape and was faced away from Lita. Everything was then still and Lita crawled to Ken's side but jumped to her feet when he started to move. 

He groaned and slowly got to his feet. Lita's eyes flew wide and she stepped back. Instead of the beast that she had grown to love, a tall, hansom man stood in his place. His brown hair was longish and his blue eyes gazed in wonder over his apparent transformation. He finally looked at Lita, and when she backed away from him he said, 

"Lita, it's me. Ken." Lita walked cautiously up to the stranger and looked him over. His voice wasn't as deep as the Beast's, but it held the same kindness and caring. Brushing a strand of hair away from his eyes, she looked hard into the gentle blue orbs looking for some sign of familiarity in their depths. She must have found what she was looking for because she threw her arms around his neck and cried, 

"It is you! Oh, Ken!" He quickly returned her embrace and kissed her firmly on the lips. This seemed to start another magical chain reaction and both and Molly and Melvin were transformed into humans. Molly, a petite brunette and Melvin, a taller man with large glasses, looked at each other and hugged each in happiness. Ken looked at them happily as the magic splashed across the castle, turning the dreary exterior and interior to a bright, magical dreamland. 

With one more blast of magic, everyone was swept into the ballroom. Lita, Ken, Maurice and the rest were all dressed in their best and music filled the air as people glided across the floor. Molly and Melvin waltzed together while arguing over some trivial matter while Maurice chatted with other residents of the castle, now all of them human. 

Lita and Ken held each other, not believing that any of it was really happening. As the enchantress looked on from above, the two lovebirds kissed lovingly, totally unaware of anything around them. The beautiful enchantress smiled as she gazed upon them, glad that Ken had finally opened his heart up and learned to love. Lita and Ken, of course, lived happily ever after for the rest of their days. 


	8. Bedtime Stories: Interlude IV

Hello!! Look, I actually finished another part! This one is based upon a original character that I made up. Pretty much a shameless self insertion. Oh, well. It really helps if you read my first story "New Friends, Old Enemies". But if you don't feel like reading it, here's a brief descrition of Sailor Midnight/Jennifer DeVir: She has red hair, dark blue eyes and dates Jedite (yes, as in Queen Beryl's Jedite). His nickname for her is Angel, so don't be confused if that name comes up. She is the Guardian of Space and is not really apart the Inners or Outers. I don't think there's much more that you need to know. Read "NFOE" if your really interested.

Another Note: Midnight's story is a mix between Swan Lake, Swan Princess, and my own imagination. I really like some of the lines from The Swan Princess, so I used them. If you've seen the movie you'll recognize them. Thanks for the reviews on my last chapter. I know it wasn't great. I was suffering from major writers block and really had no desire to write that particular part. Maybe I'll rewrite it someday. Anyway, Please read and review. I love reading what people say about my writing.

Disclaimers in the prologue.

**Interlude IV: **

Surprisingly, when Jupiter finished her story, Small Lady was wide-awake and still staring in wonder at the 'magic' rose that the lightning scout had given her. Mercury gently took the delicate flower from the young girl's hands and went to find a vase for it. The other Scouts exchanged worried looks. _Do we have to tell another story?_

As if answering their silent question, Reeny, making sure that her rose was in its vase properly, flopped down into her bed and pulled the covers to her chin. Her guardians were flabbergasted at this. The first one to find her voice was the girl's mother. 

"Reeny, you're going to bed? Without being asked?" 

"Yeah, aren't you going to make us tell you another story?" questioned the Scout of love. The child turned to faced them and gave them one her infamous smiles. 

"If you tell me a story now, I will probably fall asleep in the middle of it. I'm going to save it for tomorrow." With that, the little imp closed her eyes and was soon asleep. Chuckling silently, Serenity kissed the top of her daughter's head and ushered the shocked Scouts out of the room. Mars was the first to comment when they were in the hall. 

"Well, she's definitely your daughter, Serena," she declared. 

"Why do you say that, Raye?" Serenity asked, puzzled. 

"No one but you two can be that devious and look so sickeningly sweet at the same time," stated Mars, while pretending to gag. Serenity only stuck her tongue at the red planet guardian and then turned her attention back to the rest of the group. 

"Well, who tells the next one?" 

"It's down to you and Midnight," stated Mercury, pointing to the red-haired Scout. 

"Wait! I have an idea!" exclaimed Jupiter and pushed Midnight and Serenity together until they were facing each other. Ignoring the weird looks she got from the two, she continued, "Now, you will do rock, paper scissors. Whoever wins the best two out of three will not have to tell the story next." 

"Basically, the loser is the storyteller tomorrow," said Midnight. 

"Yep!" confirmed the tall brunette. Midnight and Serenity shrugged and proceeded to 'fight' for it. The first round went to Serenity, and the next went to Midnight. The tension increased as the two opponents counted out the last round. 

One…Two…Three…Throw! 

Serenity, with her trusty scissors was faced with Midnight's paper. Serenity happily made a cutting motion at the other's hand and laughed out joyously, "I won!" 

Midnight smiled and watched as her long-time friend once again regressed to a small child. She had an idea of what she would tell Reeny, if she could only find it… 

General Jedite, one of the highest-ranking soldiers in Crystal Tokyo's army, entered his home excitedly. For the first time in a month he was able to come home early to see his beloved wife, Sailor Midnight, and enjoy the afternoon with her. He had been seeing a lot less of her lately, especially with the Scouts' and the young princess's agreement that had her coming home tired at night and sleeping late in the mornings. He was often gone to work long before she woke up. 

Today, he had stopped by a small flower shop and bought her a beautiful bouquet of white roses and planned to take her out for a fantastic lunch. Glancing around the apparently empty dwelling, he called out, 

"Angel? Jennifer, are you here?" He was answered by a small sneeze in the direction of their bedroom. He strode to the adjoining room and stood in shock at the mess that was there. Old cards, books, clothes…everything one could possible think of was scattered across the room. Jedite looked in wonder towards the closet that used to house the discarded items and saw a ladder propped against its doorframe. 

The occupant of the ladder was covered in dust and was intently looking through the long forgotten space in the closet. Her once white sailor fuku was now a dull gray (A.N. I don't know if the Scouts always wore their uniforms in the future, I'm just guessing.) and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail to keep it out of her smudge-covered face. 

"Angel?" called Jedite again, this time in an amused voice. Midnight, not hearing him come in, started and promptly fell off her perch. Expecting a hard landing on her rear, the space guardian closed her eyes and waited with dread. A second passed and instead landing on the hard floor, Midnight found herself cradled in a pair of soft, but strong arms. She slowly opened her eyes and found Jedite looking down at her in amusement. 

"Now Angel, you should be more careful. You know you don't have wings." Rolling her eyes, Midnight gracefully slipped out of his arms and gave him a warm embrace. 

"Thank you, you're my hero!" she exclaimed smiling mischievously and giving him a peck on the lips before turning back to the closet. Not wanting to be ignored, Jedite grabbed the petite girl by the waist and started to tickle her mercilessly. Midnight was soon on the floor, rolling with laughter. Jedite finally yielded and stared at the breathless Scout pinned beneath him. Giving her a second to catch her breath, he asked his long awaited question, 

"What are you doing?" 

"I'm looking for something," she simply replied, but quickly added, "one of my old C.D.s." after Jedite silently threatened to tickle her again. 

"What? A C.D.? That's why our room's a mess?" Jedite finally helped the Scout to her feet and together they began to sort through the nearly empty closet. 

"Yeah. I know what story I want to tell Small Lady and I think that playing the music in the background might set the mood," explained Midnight. 

"Oh…Hey, wait. Here is our old collection! Which one were you looking for?" Jedite said as he pulled out a dusty box from the back of the closet. After lifting the lid, he whistled. "Man, these things are antiques! Will they still run?" Midnight kneeled beside him and pulled out one of the C.D.s. 

"Here it is!" she exclaimed, holding a C.D. with "Swan Lake" written across the top. "I think it will run. Mercury fixed her computer up so we could play and record all our old songs onto newer disks." The rest of the afternoon was spent putting away the contents of the closet. Not exactly the romantic afternoon that Jedite had in mind, but anytime spent with his angel was time well spent. Besides, she made it worth his while later that afternoon… 

That night, the Scouts were again surrounding the small princess lying in her pink bed. Sailor Midnight was the only one who hadn't settled yet; she was messing with the music player on Mercury's computer. She had been messing it for only a couple of minutes, but some people were already impatient. 

"Come on, Midnight! You're just stalling. Come over here and tell your story already!" cried Mars, while tapping her foot impatiently. Midnight just ignored her and after pressing a couple more buttons, beautiful, melancholy chords started to play out of the speakers that surrounded the young girl's room. The redhead smiled triumphantly in Mars' direction and took her seat to the direct right of Small Lady. Without another word, the space guardian started her story. 

"Once upon a time…" 


	9. Bedtime Stories: Chapter Five

**Chapter Five: Midnight at Swan Lake **

Once upon a time, there were two great and beautiful kingdoms. Although the two kingdoms shared a boundary, no wars or disputes ever came between them. A very kind king and queen ruled the smaller of the two kingdoms. Unfortunately, they had no heirs to inherit their kingdom. They tried again and again to have a child, but years went by and no child was born. 

Eventually, the queen did give birth to a beautiful baby girl. The queen died soon after, but before she did, the queen named the princess Jennifer, meaning fair and pure. The king was deeply saddened by the death of his wife, but refused to become a depressed recluse for his daughter's sake. 

The larger kingdom was ruled by a rather eccentric widowed queen. She also had a single child, a young prince that she lovingly called Jedite. Both the queen and the prince were invited to young Jennifer's christening and there, the two single parents decided that it would in the best interest of their kingdoms to have the two young children marry and unite the kingdoms. To make the union less awkward, it was agreed that the two would be brought together each summer; hopefully Jennifer and Jedite would become friends, and eventually lovers. 

Five years passed and the two young royals were brought together for the first time since the christening. Five-year-old Jennifer was pushed forward to greet the eight-year-old Jedite, who was being forced to do the same. Jennifer looked at the prince with disgust. He was dressed in an immaculate pair of knickers and a ruffled shirt to match. His blond hair was shaggy and his bangs fell into his face, but they were unable to cover the look of loathing that was upon his face. His ice blue eyes also appraised his summer companion. She had a pink and purple dress that was just as fancy as his outfit and her red hair was decorated with small white flowers. Her dark blue eyes watched him warily as she curtsied and said "Hello" in the most polite tone that she could muster. His reply was equally forced. Both children ran back to the safety of their parents, but were pushed back together a moment later. 

With their parents watching over their shoulders, the two children reluctantly bowed to each other and Jedite grimaced as he kissed Jennifer's hand. After wiping the 'cooties' off her hand Jennifer turned her back on Jedite; he mimicked her behavior by wiping his mouth and pouting as he turned to face his mother. 

The adults were blind to the children's obvious distaste of the situation and went to plan their future engagement. While the royal parents planned the eventual joining of kingdoms, their royal children chased, pushed, and beat upon the other, trying to demonstrate who was the 'boss'. 

Similar meetings occurred every summer for twelve years. As the children grew, they gained a mild respect for the other, but would never dare to admit it. Their parents impatiently waited for the day where the two would discover their undying love for one another and merge their countries forever. 

Spring came and Jennifer celebrated her eighteenth birthday. The occasion wasn't particularly joyful for her because she knew now that her father would once again push for her to marry Jedite. Not that she disliked him, it was just that he was a cocky, self-absorbed, selfish brat…Well, maybe she did dislike him. She counted the days with dread as spring quickly turned into summer. 

Jedite was equally dismayed about the coming summer. His mother had announced to him that he would ask Jennifer to marry him during her visit to their castle. Jedite was twenty-one and this was the third year that his mother had made such an announcement to him. Every year he was able to convince her otherwise, but this time the queen stood firm by her decision. The prince refused to get married to that childish, immature, little girl. Jedite sighed as he looked back at his calendar, counting the days unhappily as summer approached. 

June 1st arrived and a fancy carriage pulled up to the front of Prince Jedite's castle. The princess inside stubbornly refused to get out of the safety of the carriage and eventually was carried out by two the of the king's guards; each one grabbed one of her arms, lifted her, and carried her to the ballroom as she kicked in protest. Jedite also had to be forced out the sanctuary of his room. After ordering, threatening, and even begging for him to come out, the queen finally had some guards force their way into the prince's room and drag him to the arranged meeting place. 

The two young adults were forced into the ballroom at the same time, but both refused to look at the other as they crossed their arms and groused at their present situation. Noticing that he was awful quiet, Jennifer turned to see Jedite still facing away from her. Her breath involuntary caught in her throat. _When did he get that hansom?_ The blond hair that was always so unruly, tangled, and too long was now short and wavy. He was dressed in his finest, as he always was, but now the clothes didn't look so out of place on him. They draped upon his muscular body making him look proud and regal. Jennifer found herself dreaming about being held in his strong arms and having him kiss her…_Wait a minute! It's Jedite! I'm supposed to hate him!_ she thought, but for whatever reason she could not dislike him. 

Jennifer was still silently appraising him when Jedite turned to face her. He was about to make a snide comment about her staring, but found that her couldn't speak. She had also changed in his eyes. He couldn't figure out why he didn't see it before. She was absolutely gorgeous! Her bright red hair flowed down her slim body, stopping about mid-back and was only adorned with a simple silver crown. She wore a midnight blue gown that brought out her sapphire eyes, making them dance and sparkle in the chandelier's soft light. Jedite also could help but notice how well the dress fit her trim body, emphasizing all of her curves. He blushed suddenly and looked back up, catching her unblinking gaze. _What am I doing? I've never been attracted to her before. It's just Jennifer!_ he tried to convince himself. 

Both young adults approached one another tentatively, as if scared the other would bolt any second. A beautiful melody started to play and the two started to dance, unsure at first but more confidently as the song played on. For just a moment, the two were off in their own little world, not even noticing the crowd of people starting to gather around them. The music slowly died away, the last chords echoing off the vast ceilings of the ballroom while the entire court stood in silent anticipation as the couple slowly backed away from each other. 

Jennifer finally noticed that everyone was staring at her and Jedite. She blushed, for she never did like to be the center of attention, and suddenly raced out of the ballroom. Jedite quickly followed her, but not before giving his mother that look meaning, "Don't even think about following us." His mother and the rest of the court gaped in wonder at the now vacant dance floor, everyone trying to comprehend what just happened. 

It didn't take long for Jedite to find Jennifer. She had escaped to a small clearing that was hidden to everyone but Jedite and Jennifer. They had found it a few years ago and claimed it as their own; a sort of neutral zone where they were actually civil to each other. It was a small lake, surrounded by small bushes and flowers. A ruined fort stood at one end of the calm water, it's towers and battlements crumbled with age. A thick forest, through which only one path lead to the clearing, surrounded the entire glade preventing anyone from coming to the couple's sacred spot.

Jedite smiled as he entered his childhood playground, and just like he predicted, he spied Jennifer sitting on a log overhanging the peaceful lake. She had removed her shoes and lazily kicked her feet in the water, making small ripples and waves. Jedite took a seat next to her and followed her gaze across the lake, feeling more tranquil with her than he had ever before. When it was obvious that she wasn't going to start the conversation, Jedite softly spoke to her, 

"Jennifer…" She glanced up at him and turned away again, as if embarrassed. The prince was confused at her odd behavior and gently took her chin in his hand and lifted it up so he could look into her azure eyes. He was surprised to find a mixture of emotions in them: embarrassment, confusion, and…love? 

"Jennifer…I don't know quite how to say this, but I think I'm falling in love with you," he whispered quietly while his ice blue eyes bore into hers, showing nothing but love and sincerity. Jennifer gave a small, shy smile and said, 

"I think, that maybe, I might love you too." 

With that, their lips met in a brief, but tender kiss. When they broke apart again, Jedite's face broke into a crooked grin and Jennifer returned it with a silly smirk of her own. 

"Well, I guess we're getting married," stated Jedite, but Jennifer shook her head and replied, 

"Not until you ask me properly." Jedite smiled again, but when he got up to propose, he lost his balance and fell into the lake. Jennifer started to laugh hysterically as the prince surfaced, looking like a drowned rat. She didn't laugh for long as he grabbed her un-shoed foot and dragged her after him. Now it was his turn to laugh as the princess came up, sputtering and gasping. 

"Jennifer, my beautiful, drenched angel, will you marry me?" Jedite asked while gathering her in his arms. Jennifer met his lips again in a brief kiss and winked at him. 

"Yes, of course…but, Jedite…" 

"Yes, Angel…Ack!" started Jedite before he was dunked underwater. When he resurfaced, Jennifer was already out of the lake and wringing some of the water out of her sopping wet dress. While Jedite struggled out of the lake, the princess put her hands on her hips and glared mockingly at him. 

"Don't do that again!!" Jedite just laughed as he put his arm around her shoulders and guided her back to the palace. 

The palace was in an uproar when the drenched young adults came back to the castle. The queen fussed over them, making them change into dry clothes, placing them in front of a roaring fire, and serving them hot soup. Jennifer's father, the king, scolded both of them as if they were children again, but they could see a sparkle in his eyes that showed that he wasn't really mad. After both meddling parents calmed down, Jedite announced his and Jennifer's engagement. Both monarchs were immensely pleased and started to make plans at once. Jennifer and Jedite exchanged a knowing look as their parents talked about throwing the biggest wedding ever. 

After a few blissful days, Jennifer and her father had to leave to prepare for the upcoming wedding. The two lovers shared a long goodbye kiss, knowing that they might not see each other for a month or two. Jennifer waved as the carriage crossed the drawbridge and started to head for her kingdom. Jedite stood and watched her leave until the carriage was out of sight. He was then ushered back into the castle by his mother to start planning his big day. 

After riding for a few hours, the carriage suddenly stopped. Confused, the king stepped out, while telling Jennifer to stay inside. In the middle of the road stood a dark stranger. He was tall and foreboding, his black cape blowing in the sudden wind. The sky grew dark and clouds rolled in as if by the stranger's command. A storm broke, complete with jagged lightening and explosive thunder. The king's guards armed themselves and prepared to protect the king and the princess. 

"Move at once! I order you in the name of the king!" shouted the driver. The figure just chuckled evilly and sneered at them. 

"'In the name of the king!'" he mocked, coming closer so that he could be seen clearly. He was Rubeus, a dark magician who had his eyes upon the king's realm for many years. He had slowly been training and developing his powers and now he was ready to overthrow the king. With one last laugh, Rubeus changed from an auburn-haired man to a blood red dragon. "Now, **_your highness_**_,_ you will meet your end." And then he attacked… 

Back at the castle, Prince Jedite was relaxing in the main chamber when a loud pounding sounded on the outer door. The gate was lifted and the door thrown open and through the pouring rain one of the king's guards staggered into the castle. Jedite was at his side at once. 

"Call the medic!" he yelled to a servant. He then looked down at the guard, "What happened? Where's the king? Where's Jennifer!?!" 

"A…great…dragon. It…attacked…" the guard's sentence trailed off. He was unconscious. Without another word, Jedite mounted his mighty horse and raced along the road. The rain was pouring in waves and lightening zigzagged across the sky, but the determined prince didn't slow. He finally came upon the remains of the royal carriage. His worry increasing tenfold at this sight, and he called out into the driving rain, 

"Your highness?! Jennifer?! ANGEL!?!" 

Jedite heard a soft moan and rushed toward the sound. He spied the king lying in a puddle, bleeding and broken. Jedite cursed as he knelt down; the king's wounds were too great. The king must have realized that he was going to die because he started to talk in a painful whisper. 

"Jedite…It…came out…of nowhere…" 

"Where's Jennifer?" he asked, but the king shook his head and tried to warn him again. 

"The…great…dragon…it's not what it seems…" choked out the crushed king. 

"What…What do you mean?" cried Jedite. "Where's Jennifer?" 

"Jennifer…is…gone…." And with one last sigh, the king died. Jedite pounded the ground in frustration and grief. Where was his angel? 

A frantic search began, but days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and finally a year passed without a sign of the princess. Everyone gave up hope of seeing her again. Everyone, except Jedite. He was convinced that she was alive and that whatever this "great dragon" was, it had her. He studied and trained day in and day out, praying that one day he would find a clue to find his missing angel. 

Jennifer was a lot closer than Jedite thought. He never returned to his and his lover's secret glade, although he would probably not be able to find it now. Rubeus decided to take the princess there and hid the path that led to it. Now, not even the prince would be able to navigate the thick forest and find the sorcerer. He had taken resident in the old fort, living there with his evil daughter, Emerald. 

Jennifer also lived in this glade, although not by choice. She was a prisoner in the beautiful lake. At night, she was her normal, human form but when day came, she was transformed into a beautiful swan. Every night just before dawn, Rubeus would come out and ask Jennifer to marry him and legally make him ruler of her kingdom. And every night Jennifer would refuse his offer, dooming herself to another day as being a swan. 

One afternoon, some of Jedite's soldier friends took him out hunting, trying to get his mind off his lost princess. They hunted for hours, catching many deer and rabbits for the evening's supper. Jedite was preoccupied the entire time, not really getting into the spirit of the hunt. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice that the others had gotten ahead of him. The prince looked around, but he couldn't find a path or trail of any kind that would give away his friends' position. He sighed and picked a random direction and rode his horse deeper into the forest. 

The blond prince eventually reached a clearing. At first, he didn't recognize the small glade for it had changed much since he had been there last. With a startled gasp, he realized that it was his and Jennifer secret place, although the lake and ruins were now unfamiliar to him. The ruins had somehow rebuilt themselves and stood as proud and grand as any castle. The lake and shrubbery surrounding it, however, were over grown and thick, as if to trap something inside. 

As he dismounted from his horse, Jedite saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to face the calm lake. A white swan swam peacefully in the center, taking no notice of the intruder. Jedite, who had not caught anything during the hunt, shrugged and decided to bring home a nice big bird to have the cook fix for dinner. He raised his bow and arrow and aimed just as the swan turned to face him. He lowered his bow in surprise for the swan had the strangest marking upon its forehead; the feathers upon the front of its face were black and formed a tiny four-pointed star. The swan's eyes suddenly widened in surprise, shocking Jedite even more. _Could this swan actually be sentient?_

Jedite vaguely realized that he had been out so late that night had fallen and the moon had crept over the tops of the forest's trees. He let out a frustrated sigh and grumbled something along the lines that no swan dinner was worth spending the night outside. He turned to leave the swan in peace when the water bird started to glow. The prince's pale blue eyes widened as the swan glowed even brighter and came toward him. Suddenly, a bright silver light flashed and Jedite was blinded. When his sight returned, a beautiful woman stood in front of him. But not just any woman, it was Jennifer. 

"Angel!" he cried joyously while sweeping her up in his arms. 

"Jedite!" was her excite reply as he gently set her back down. Jedite continued to hold on to her as if afraid she would vanish again. 

"But…what happened? Why…Who…what's with the swan thing?" he asked, finally settling on his question. Jennifer gave him a sad smile and tried to explain. 

"I'm being held prisoner. He keeps me as a swan so no one will find me. He wants me to marry…" 

"Who is it?!? He will taste the steel of my sword!" interrupted Jedite angrily while drawing his sword. Pure fury burned in his eyes at the person who took his angel away from him. 

"NO!! You mustn't! Rubeus is too strong!" she cried, worrying for his safety. Suddenly, from the now-restored fort called a threatening voice.

"Jennifer!!" 

"Oh, no! That's him. You must leave!" the princess begged. Jedite shook his head and replied, "Not without you!" 

"But I will just turn back into a swan when day comes again. The only way to break the spell is for you to declare you love for me…" 

"I do love you. You know that," he said. Jennifer sadly shook her head and continued. 

"And prove it to the world." Jedite had no idea what she meant be that and his musings were interrupted by another loud, 

"JENNIFER!!" Jennifer looked back at her love, her dark blue eyes begging him to listen. 

"Please, go…" she whispered. Jedite suddenly had an idea. 

"Come to the palace tomorrow night. I'll get my mother to throw a ball. There, I'll announce my undying love for you. Please say you'll come." 

"Yes, of course I will," she replied before asking again, "Now, please go!" 

Jedite gave her one last tender kiss and escaped through the tall bushes with his steed just as the auburn-haired villain approached Jennifer. 

"Why didn't you come when I called?" he asked angrily while roughly grabbing her wrist. She tried to form an answer, but Rubeus grinned evilly and interrupted her. 

"No, don't answer, I know what happened. 'Come to the palace tomorrow.'" Jennifer's eyes filled with fear as he said this. "Well, I'm not about to let you go, but I can't leave the prince without a date. Now whatever will we do?" he asked. A feminine voice called from nearby, 

"I'll go, Father," stated Emerald, "I've been thinking of getting a new play thing. He would be perfect for me," she said while laughing annoyingly. 

"Just what I was thinking, my daughter. I'll just cast a spell so you look like out dear princess here and you can seduce the prince. He'll give his love to the wrong girl and," Rubeus looked down at the frightened princess, "You'll die. Oh, well. I guess I'll just have to take your father's kingdom by force after all." He looked up at the setting moon and pushed Jennifer in to the lake while taunting her, "Enjoy your last living day…. as a swan!!" 

Rubeus laughed cruelly as Jennifer was once again surrounded by a bright silver light and turned into a swan. She swam to the middle of the lake, one lone tear of despair trailing down from her sad, blue eyes. 

Jedite was on cloud nine as he waltzed around the palace, checking on every arrangement being made for the night's ball. The queen was quite confused at his strange behavior, but he refused to tell anyone what made him so happy. She gladly prepared for the ball, hoping that this meant that her son was finally over the disappearance of Princess Jennifer. 

The hours seemed to drag by as he impatiently waited for the setting sun and the moon to raise that would signal the arrival of his love. Finally, the ball started and the prince waited anxiously for his angel to come. 

Rubeus changed Emerald like he promised and escorted her to the drawbridge of the castle where she went to enter the castle by herself. Jennifer, who was now in her human form, was held tightly by Rubeus outside one of the grand windows that looked into the ballroom. He wanted to witness her love give his heart to someone else. Jennifer tried to twist out of his grasp, but he just tightened his hold on her, bruising her arms in the process. 

The ballroom fell silent as the main doors opened and revealed the small form of the red haired princess. 'Jennifer' slowly walked across the room, smiling slightly as the people stood, stunned. Jedite ran up and embraced her tightly, kissing her on the cheek before addressing the court. Jennifer, being held by Rubeus just outside tried to yell, but the sorcerer put a cloth in her mouth, effectively quieting her. Jennifer could only watch and cry silently as Jedite began his speech. 

"I have found my bride. I have loved this girl for a very long time. I have loved her even before I really realized it. She is the most beautiful, kind, and honest person I have ever met. I pledge my heart and my soul to this girl, Jennifer." 

As soon as he said this, a blast of lightening and wind blew open all the windows and doors and plunged the ballroom into darkness. A crash of thunder and a puff of black smoke revealed the sorcerer, Rubeus. Jedite was outraged. 

"Get out of here!! You have no power over her now. I have pledged my love to her!!" shouted Jedite, while holding 'Jennifer' protectively. 

"You're right. You have made a pledge of love. But not to the one you think!" Rubeus exclaimed while snapping his fingers. 'Jennifer' suddenly started to glow and when she stopped, she had long green hair and dark green eyes and was dressed in a short green dress. Jedite stepped back in surprise as Emerald laughed sinisterly. He turned back to Rubeus as the sorcerer pointed to a now opened window and gloated. 

"Your precious princess only has moments to live. You may want to go after her." Jedite looked in the direction he pointed and saw Jennifer running toward the thick forest. He tried to go after her, but Emerald grabbed him. 

"No, don't go. You're mine now," she said coyly while wrapping her arms around the prince. He shoved her away and looked back at the window, but his angel was no longer in sight. Rubeus laughed at this and said as he disappeared in another puff of smoke, 

"Hurry up, little prince, and I may let you say goodbye." 

Emerald had also disappeared, but Jedite didn't even notice for he was already running toward the secret glade. 

Jennifer stumbled over a tree roots and pushed through thorny bushes blindly. Her clothes were torn and she had a dozen scratches, but she ignored them all as she ran blindly to the lake. Tears filled her eyes as she replayed the past five minutes in her mind. She knew that Jedite meant to say all that to her and not to Emerald, but it still hurt. 

She weakly pushed past the last branch and fell to her knees beside the lake. It hurt to breathe and she felt very weak and tired. _I must be dying,_ she thought while trying to get back up. Her body refused and she finally collapsed onto the soft grass, closing her eyes and preparing for the end. 

Jedite had long ago drawn his sword as he rushed through the forest, cutting and slashing anything that got in his way. He made it to the clearing moments after Jennifer and saw her collapse. The blond prince rushed to her side and gently gathered her in his arms. She felt smaller, weaker somehow and she was impossibly pale. Jedite swallowed the sudden lump in his throat and shook the princess slightly. 

"Angel? Please, wake up…" he trailed off as her eyes fluttered open. 

"Jedite? You…followed me?" she asked quietly. 

"Yes. Of course I did! I would go to the end of the earth and back for you. I love you. All those things I said in the ballroom, all of it was meant for you…" his voice cracked with emotion and tears filled his eyes, "Please, don't die. I can't live without you." 

Jennifer gave a weak smile and whispered, "I love you, too….please…hold me." Jedite complied, wishing with all his heart that he could save her from death. He could almost feel the strength slowly leave her and cried as she closed her eyes and took her last breath. The love of his life, his angel, was gone. 

Jedite didn't know how long he held her, begging her to come back to him. A pair of evil voices, laughing cruelly at his pain, interrupted the prince's brokenhearted pleas. He looked up, anger filling his heart, at the two who killed his love. 

"Awww…poor little prince. Let me kiss it and make it better," cooed Emerald, draping herself upon the prince and kissing him on the cheek. Jedite roughly pushed her away and got to his feet, picking up his discarded sword and faced the one really responsible for the red-haired princess's death, Rubeus. The evil enchanter smirked, 

"Oh, you want to challenge me? Well, I can't say it's been nice knowing you. Now you will learn what true pain means!" As he said this, a dark light covered his body. His figure grew and stretched, wings sprouted and claws formed. The light vanished, revealing his final form: a blood red dragon. Jedite immediately recognized him. 

"It's not what it seems…you're the great dragon!" he exclaimed, brandishing his sword. Rubeus only roared and swooped down, claws outstretched. Just before the dragon could grab him, Jedite rolled out of the way, missing death by inches. He got back up to his feet and felt someone hit him in the back. Jedite's sword flew from his grasp, landing a couple of meters away. He turned to see Emerald standing there, smiling not-so-innocently at him. Rubeus flew up high again and prepared for another attack. 

"Let's see if you can dodge this, little prince." As he growled this, Rubeus breathed in a large gust of air then blew out, sending red-hot flames down to the earth. Jedite turned and saw him just as Rubeus did this and barely got out of the way in time. Emerald, who hadn't been paying attention, wasn't as lucky. As Jedite ran to his sword and picked it up, he could see Emerald becoming engulfed in flames and screaming as she burned. Rubeus only shook his head as her lifeless body fell down smoking. 

"Foolish girl…" he murmured as he came down again. Jedite was ready this time and thrust his sword out toward the great creature. Whether it was good aim or good luck, the sword hit its mark and buried itself deep into Rubeus's black heart. The red dragon screamed in rage and pain as he burst into an explosion of light and magic. Jedite covered his eyes as the light became too intense and when he opened his eyes, no sign of the sorcerer or his daughter were left. 

The glade was returned to its originally tranquility, the fort again in ruins and the lake looking as pristine as ever. With a heavy heart, Jedite trudged back to the side of his lost love and collapsed on the ground next to her. He sat back on his knees and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face, noting that she didn't look dead, just sleeping peacefully. At any moment, he expected her to open her beautiful blue eyes and complain about sleeping on the ground. A fresh bout of tears formed in his eyes and was about to fall when a voice sounded in the small clearing. 

"Jedite" called the soft, melodious voice. The prince tensed up and put his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to fight again. A whitish-blue ball of light floated into view above the couple and Jedite stared at it in wonder. _The light is…talking?_

"Yes, I'm talking," it said, surprising the prince immensely. "I'm the essence of true, everlasting love. I protect and ensure that pure love can flourish and grow upon this earth. I think some of your legends refer to me as Eros or Cupid." Jedite knelt in stunned silence for a few moments before bursting out in anger, 

"If you protect true love, where were you when my angel died! Why was our love forsaken?" The light brightened a little in shock and then softened again and replied, 

"Rubeus's dark magic was strong. His spell on your beloved is too powerful to be erased by my magic, even now in his death," explained the light, gently. Jedite's shoulders slumped in defeat. 

"So, there's nothing you can do? Please, I'll do anything to get Jennifer back." The light seemed to laugh in reply. 

"You already have done much to prove your love. You have defeated both Rubeus and Emerald, who were each very powerful. You have rid the world of the great dragon and have purged a terrible evil from this earth." As the light said this, the blond prince looked up at it in hope, his sky blue eyes pleading and begging for help. The light suddenly plunged down, straight into the lifeless princess. Her body glowed slightly as the voice continued, 

"'To break the spell, her true love must declare his love and prove it to the world.' By defeating Rubeus, you have proven your love. The spell is broken…" whispered the voice, fading away as the light surround Jennifer also dimmed. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then the small body next to Jedite shifted slightly. He looked down sharply and cried in surprise as Jennifer took in a breath of air and started to cough. Jedite collected the princess in his arms and gently rubbed her back as she gasped for breath. Her eyes flew open, the sapphire orbs looking around in surprise and trying to comprehend what had happened. Finally, they came to rest on Jedite and started to fill with tears. 

"Jedite…" Jennifer whispered while throwing herself into his arms and hugging him tightly. Jedite was too overjoyed to speak and settled for stroking her soft, red hair while she cried tears of relief and happiness. 

About an hour later, the main gate of the castle was thrown open to the prince and princess. Jedite easily carried Jennifer into the palace, surprising the queen and the rest of the court. It wasn't long before everything was explained. Jedite and Jennifer announced their engagement (again) and the court buzzed happily with the news. The queen insisted on holding the wedding as soon as possible, because she believed that the couple 'had waited quite long enough'. 

The wedding was a beautiful and grand affair. Royals from all over came to celebrate Jedite and Jennifer's marriage. The day went by in a blur for the two lovers and soon they found themselves alone in their glade. As they walked peacefully arm in arm around the clear lake, Jennifer suddenly turned to face Jedite. 

"Jedite, will you love me always? 'Til the day I die?" she quietly asked, looking deeply into his eyes. Jedite smiled and shook his head. 

"No, Angel, much longer than that." He leaned in and kissed her tenderly, expressing all of his love and devotion in that kiss. The two love birds had overcome many difficult obstacles, including death, but their love had persevered. And, like many of their fairy tale peers, they lived happily ever after. 


	10. Bedtime Stories: Interlude V

Hello everyone!! Long time no see. I just finished my last AP exam and thought that I would finally finish this story. I have posted the last two parts and the epilogue.

I was kind of sad to find that only one person reviewed my last chapter. I really didn't think it was that bad. Oh, well. I know that original characters aren't as cool as cannon characters. Please read and review this part. Pretty, Pretty Please?

Disclaimers in the prologue.

**Interlude V: **

Not hearing anything from the small girl in the bed except for her deep, even breathing, the Scouts assumed Reeny had fallen asleep. Sailor Midnight smiled and moved toward the speakers while the rest of the group silently moved toward the door. The space guardian was just about to press the 'OFF' switch when a small voice called from the bed. 

"Could you please leave it on?" asked the sleepy pink-haired princess. Midnight looked questioning at the girls mother and received a shrug in return. The red-haired Scout complied with the young princess's demand, but turned the volume down. 

Out in the hallway, the Senshi congratulated Midnight while at the same time teasing Serenity. 

"Meat-ball head, what story are you going to tell, the 'Clumsy Princess'" laughed Mars. Mercury elbowed her and glared, 

"Raye! You know that Serena isn't as clumsy as she used to be! Besides, not all princesses have to be perfect." 

"Yeah, look at yourself, Raye," commented Serenity. Mars's face grew red but before an all-out shouting match was launched, Jupiter whistled and got everyone's attention. 

"We're all tired. Let's get some sleep and finish this up tomorrow. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm glad that out 'deal' is almost over." Everyone nodded in agreement and with a couple of yawns and 'Good Nights', they went to their separate rooms. 

Morning rays streamed into the Moon family's main chamber, making the lone figure in the king size bed cringe and retreat away from the light. A few more moments of peace were won until the girl felt a hand gentle shake her shoulder. The golden-haired girl mumbled something that sounded like "five more minutes" before turning over and going back to sleep. The hands weren't as gentle as they shook the stubborn woman again and when she still refused to get up, the hands decided to take desperate measures. 

Serenity, still snoring away, didn't see it until it was too late. Suddenly, a shouting giggling toddler was thrown into the bed with the sleeping monarch. With a surprise "Ugh!" the queen sat up in bed only to be confronted with her wide-eyed daughter. Reeny was only too happy in getting her mommy up and pestered Serenity until she finally crawled out of bed. The tired queen glared at the instigator behind her wake up call while he just laughed at her. King Darien gently picked up his daughter while Serenity cried, 

"Ooooo…Darien, that was so mean! All I wanted was a couple more minutes!" whined the queen as she went to shower and change. Darien only smiled and said, 

"I gave you an whole hour to sleep in. Reeny was up at the crack of dawn and instead of waking you up, I got up with her." He placed his daughter down on the ground and told her, "Good job, Munchkin. Now, go find some of the Scouts and see what's for breakfast." At the mention of food, the toddler perked up and ran off to do what her father said. Chuckling, he returned to the bedroom. Just as he sat down upon the bed, Serenity came out, drying her clean, but wet hair. She didn't look happy and simply ignored her husband as she entered the room. 

"Oh, come on, Serena. You know you would had to get up eventually." When she didn't answer to this, Darien put on his best 'puppy-dog' face complete with mournful blue eyes and said, "I'm sorry, Serena. Forgive me?" 

Serenity looked at him and melted; he could always get her to forgive him by asking like that. Nodding she glided over to him and kissed him as a sign that there were no hard feelings. 

"Okay, but now that I'm up, you have to help me figure out which story to tell Reeny tonight," she demanded while putting down her towel and picking up her brush. Darien walked up behind her, took the brush and started to meticulously brush her golden hair. 

"Hmmm…. Well, what about Sleeping Beauty?" he jokingly asked while handed her a hair band. She expertly put half of her hair into a 'meatball' while her husband brushed the rest of her hair. Not getting the joke, she replied, 

"Nope. Mina already told that one. Any other ideas?" She put the other half of her hair into a bun while Darien tried again, 

"You always liked Cinderella." Serenity's eyes lit up and she turned around and faced Darien. 

"Oh, that's perfect! That's my favorite! Reeny will love it!" she squealed as the queen hugged her husband. He smiled at her eagerness and decided to ask for a favor. 

"Serena, can I listen to the story tonight? I've heard so much about them from Reeny that I want to be there." Serena shook her head and said, 

"No. If you listen, you have to tell a story." Darien tried to give his puppy-dog face but Serenity only laughed and shook her head again. 

"That won't work on me this time. I have to tell a story tonight so I could listen to all the others. You will just have to miss out." With that, Serenity walked out of the bedroom and headed toward the dining room. Darien gave a cunning smile while saying to himself, 

"We'll see about that…" 

That night, Reeny rushed into bed as soon as her guardians told her to. She was very excited to hear her mother's story. Serenity wasted no time in gathering her pink-haired daughter into her arms and sitting back onto the equally pink bed. The Scouts gathered around the couple and waited for their queen to start. Serenity spoke softly, soothing her daughter and starting her long awaited story. 

"Now, I don't have any fancy props or music, but I do have a really good story to tell. It has always been my favorite. Okay, here it goes: 

"Once upon a time…" 


	11. Bedtime Stories: Chapter Six

**Chapter Six: Serenity and her Glass Slipper **

Once upon a time there was a rich widower and his daughter. They lived in a grand mansion and the man gave his daughter anything that she wished. Despite this, the little girl was not spoiled, but rather kind and friendly. Because of her sweetness and beauty, the little girl was named Serenity: a name that had been passed down in her family for generations. 

The man had lost his wife to sickness and was reluctant to remarry. He did, though, for his daughter's sake. The woman he married was a golden haired, yet cold beauty named Galaxia and she also had two daughters of her own. Karasuma, or just Kara for short, had long red-orange hair and chocolate brown eyes. Her sister, Aya had equally long hair that was an aquamarine color and the same blue-greened colored eyes. Both youths were extremely beautiful, but their beauty was marred by their hateful and generally nasty personalities. 

Serenity's father died shortly after marrying Galaxia. Serenity was devastated by her father's death and looked to her new 'mother' for comfort. Galaxia could not have cared less about her blond stepdaughter and sent the poor girl to work down in the cellar. The evil woman and her equally horrible daughters ordered Serenity around day and night, making her life miserable. They stopped calling her Serenity out of spite; they would only refer to her as 'the servant girl' or Serena. Serena spent many unhappy years this way, every day wishing that one day, someone would come and whisk her away from her dreary home. 

The sun was shining brightly through the town's square as everyone, royalty and peasants alike, bustled around doing their various chores and errands. This included Galaxia, her daughters and, of course, Serena. Serena was carrying a dozen of boxes, all of them stacked precariously on top of one another. She weaved in and out of the crowd, desperately trying to keep the boxes balanced. Noticing her troubles, Galaxia turned toward her stepdaughter. Instead of helping the poor girl, the cold beauty placed another box upon Serena's impossibly high stack and walked into a nearby hat store with the orders, "Stay put!" 

Serena was unable to see over the boxes and suddenly walked right into someone. The boxes of hats and clothes went flying, scattering all around the street. If that wasn't bad enough, Serena also landed hard on her knees and hands, scrapping them in the process. A teasing voice sounded from above the blond girl, causing her to look up into the face of a very hansom man. 

"Watch it, girl! Or, should I say, Meatball Head!" exclaimed the raven-haired man, his mouth pulling into a little smirk. Serena, who wasn't having a good morning to begin with, almost burst into frustrated tears. Listening for once to her logical side, the girl simply got up and just started to gather her things. The young man, still wanting to get a rise out of her, bent down and whispered into her ear, 

"You know, Meatball Head, normal people don't walk right into people. Is there just air between those meatballs or what?" he teased. Serena's patience finally snapped and she turned angrily to the stranger. 

"First of all, my name is Serena, not Meatball Head. Second, I happen to like my pretty, UNIQUE hairstyle. Lastly, I AM A NORMAL PERSON, NOT AN AIRHAED; I JUST COULDN'T SEE WHERE I WAS GOING!!" Everyone turned and stared at the small, but loud girl and the object of her fury. The man blushed in embarrassment at being the center of attention and quickly bent down and helped Serena gather her parcels. He finally got a good look at the girl and realized how pretty she really was. She even looked cuter when she was mad. _Maybe that's why I was teasing her_ he thought and decided to make amends. 

"Look, Serena, I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you, maybe over lunch…" he trailed as she interrupted him. 

"First you insult me, then try to ask me out? What kind of jerk are you? Do you think I'm just another girl to fawn over you?" 

"You're not like most girls, are you?" the dark-haired, blue-eyed man asked incredulously. 

"If you mean, by not being one of a million girls that probably throw themselves at your feet everyday, then yes, and I'm proud of it!" she exclaimed, finally getting up with all her packages. The stranger tried to take a few from her, but she shrugged away his help. 

"Come on. Let me help you out. You'll just run into someone again," he stated. Serena huffed at him, but handed a few boxes over. She realized that he wasn't that bad, but found that he knew her name but she had no idea who he was. 

"What's you're name? Or are you just a nameless jerk who teases young girls like me for a living?" 

"Well, since you asked so nicely, Meatball Head," Serena glared at him when he said that, "I'll introduce myself. My name is…" 

"SERENA!!! I thought I told you not to talk to strangers!" yelled Galaxia while rushing out of the store with Kara and Aya. The stranger stood dumbfounded as Galaxia yelled at Serena, who shrunk back at each put down. 

"Stupid girl! We're going to be late. Get those boxes and move it, NOW!!" Serena quickly grabbed the boxes from the young man and hurried after her stepmother. Before she fled out of sight, the man yelled after her, 

"I hope to 'run' into you again, Meatball Head!" Serena turned and instead of being mad she good-naturedly stuck out her tongue and called back, 

"Count on it, Jerk!!" 

Once Serena and her meatballs were out of sight, the stranger sighed and headed toward the castle on the outskirts of the town. What most people didn't know when they looked at the dark-haired man was that he was Prince Darien, future king of the land. He liked to dress as a peasant and walk through town in order to be treated normally once and a while and not like, well, a prince. Darien's mother and father were waiting for him when he walked in. 

"Darien! Where have you been? Your father and I have just been talking about you!" exclaimed his mother, while his father just rolled his eyes. 

"You're mother was doing all of the talking; I was just listening," said the king. The queen simply ignored her husband and continued talking to Darien. 

"I have planned a small, itty-bitty get-together for the day after tomorrow…" Darien quickly interrupted her, 

"What do you mean, 'small', mother?" 

"Oh…Umm...just a few friends and family," Darien walked over to the desk his mother was at and pulled out a very long list of guests, "and all of the eligible maidens in the kingdom," she finished in a small, begging voice. 

"Mother! I refuse to be paraded around like a piece of meat: just a prize to the prettiest girl. Call it off!" Darien exclaimed while walking away angrily. His mother was speechless so his father spoke up, 

"Son, your mother and I only want to see you find someone and be happy." 

"And produce an heir," Darien angrily replied. 

"Well, that would be nice…" muttered his mother while his father glared at her. 

"If you don't find the girl of your dream there, we'll leave you alone and you can fall in love in your own time," proposed his father. Darien took less than a second to think it over. 

"Agreed!" he exclaimed as he shook his father's hand, sealing the deal. Darien's mother squealed excitedly and started to plan the event. 

"Let's see, we'll need a caterer, a band, and oh…we need to decorate the ballroom…" Darien and the king groaned and muttered together, 

"What have we gotten ourselves into…" 

Royal proclamations were sent to every noble man and women and to every eligible maiden in the kingdom. One such invitation was sent to the household of Galaxia and her daughters. When it came, the three eagerly went to town to shop for new dresses. They were unpleasantly surprised, however, when they arrived at the clothing store and found that it was sold out. After scolding the storeowner, Galaxia ushered her daughters home to figure out a solution. 

Kara, Aya, and Galaxia were rummaging through their closets when Galaxia had a grand idea. 

"Girls, gather some of your old dresses and make a pile right here." Soon there was a good-sized pile of too-short, slightly used dresses in the middle of the hallway. 

"SERENA!! SERENA!!" called the blond women, yelling down into the cellar. Serena came running, almost tripping over the clothing pile. 

"Now, unstitch these dresses and make three grand ball gowns out of them," commanded Galaxia. While Serena's blue eyes widen at the enormity of the task, Kara exclaimed excitedly, 

"Oooo, Mama, you're so clever!" 

Galaxia proceeded to shoo Serena into the cellar, now burdened with a dozen of old dresses. The last thing Galaxia told her stepdaughter before leaving was, 

"And make sure you have it done by the time we leave tomorrow." 

Serena stared, dumbfounded at the door which her stepmother just exited. She knew that she would never be able to finish with only a day to do the task. And that was even if she _could_ sew. Serena couldn't even thread a needle without pricking her finger, let alone sew a whole dress. She sighed and then got to work. It would not be good for her if Galaxia found her not working. 

Serena worked all day and late into the night. At about midnight, Serena threw her needle and thread down in frustration. She looked sadly at the three cloth covered mannequins. There was no way that _those_ monstrosities would ever pass for dresses. Serena felt tears gather in her cerulean eyes. She could remember the last time that she didn't finish a task that Galaxia gave her. She was sore for a week afterwards from the whipping she was given. She let her silver tears fall, wetting her pricked and cut hands as she covered her face with them and tried to control herself. _There's no use crying about it_ she thought, but couldn't quite convince herself. 

As she continued to cry, she suddenly felt a gentle hand stroke her hair. Afraid that it was her stepmother, Serena looked up sharply and found herself gazing at a beautiful silver-haired lady. Serena gasped as she recognized the woman. 

"Mother…" she whispered. The regal looking woman nodded and was hugged her daughter tightly. Serena pulled back after a few moments, confusion filling her eyes. 

"But, you're…dead," she said in a small voice. Serenity smiled at her daughter and explained. 

"Yes, my daughter, I am. But I have been allowed to see you and help you out." Serena suddenly remembered the dresses and turned toward the mannequins. Instead of three extremely ugly dresses, there were three gorgeous gowns, each one made of the finest silk and lace. Serena jumped up and examined the clothing and turned back to her mother. 

"They're beautiful. Thank you," she said sincerely, but she was still sad although Serena didn't know why. Serenity motioned for Serena to sit next to her again and said, 

"I know what you want, Serena, even if you don't." 

"What is that, mother?" asked the blond girl, genuinely confused. Her mother simply said, 

"Wait for me after those three she-devils leave. And please, darling, get some sleep tonight." And with that, Serenity vanished. Serena stared for a moment then shrugged. She would just have to wait to find out what she was planning. 

The next morning, Galaxia came rushing into the cellar, expecting Serena to be asleep on the floor, none of the dresses done. She gasped in surprise when she saw the three beautiful dresses in the middle of the room. She masked her astonishment quickly and shook Serena awake. 

"Get up! Go and fix breakfast, you ungrateful, lazy girl!" Serena rushed out, but couldn't stop the satisfied smirk that formed on her face when she saw her stepmother silently appraising Serenity's work. 

The hours flew by quickly and soon the unholy trio of Galaxia, Kara, and Aya left their mansion in a splendid spectacle. As their carriage hurried away, Serena's ears heard Galaxia's voice yell, 

"You pay for it tomorrow if we're not a hit!" She just shook her head and went back inside, almost running into her mother in the process. 

"Oh!" exclaimed Serena, stumbling back into the door. Her mother chuckled silently while her daughter sighed sadly. _Why am I such a klutz?_ Her mother hugged her gently and reassured her, 

"Serena, it's just a part of growing up. I was a little bit clumsy too." Serena stood in shook as her mother laughed and continued, "Now, you better hurry. You're going to miss the ball!" 

"The ball!" Serena exclaimed, "You have got to be joking, mother. There is no way I'll get past the front gate looking like this." Serenity pointed to a mirror and asked, 

"You mean, they wouldn't let you in looking like that?" Serena turned and gasped as she saw her reflection. Instead of a servant girl, a beautiful princess stood in front of the old mirror. She wore a beautiful, white silk dress that shone like spun starlight. She had a delicate pearl necklace around her neck and beautiful earrings to match. Her hair was in her customary buns, but they were adorned with pearls and her makeup done perfectly. Serena looked down at her feet and was surprised to find glass slippers on her feet, weightless and beautiful. 

Serena's eyes filled with tears as she hugged her mother. "Thank you," she whispered. Serenity kissed the top of her daughter's head and helped her out the door. Outside there was a gorgeous carriage made of crystal and diamonds. The doorman held the door open for Serena and she moved to get in, but suddenly turned back to her mother. 

"But, what about Galaxia? She'll recognize me for sure!" Serenity shook her head and told her, 

"No she won't. The magic will shroud you identity and no one will know who you are. For tonight, you are Princess Serenity." Serena turned to go but her mother warned her, "Serena, this is the last time you'll see me. I love you so much, daughter. But this night can't last forever; the magic I have bestowed upon you will fade at midnight. Please leave before then. Now I must go. Goodbye, Serena…" with that, Serenity faded and disappeared into the night sky. Serena wiped a lone tear from her face and got into the carriage. She would make sure this would be a night to remember. 

Meanwhile, at the ball, Prince Darien was thoroughly bored. He had spent countless hours dancing and entertaining wealthy maidens, all eager to gain his hand in marriage. He had danced with both Kara and Aya and found both of them to be extremely shallow and petty. He was just about to excuse himself when the doorman announced another arrival. 

"Presenting the Princess Serenity." The entire room fell silent in awe at the beautiful girl that entered the ballroom. She glided down the stairs gracefully, the entire time thinking to herself _Don't trip. Don't trip._ Darien met her at the bottom and for a moment couldn't speak. Serena curtsied low and said, 

"Pleased to meet you, your highness." Darien gently pulled her up and whisked her into a waltz. They dance all night long, falling more deeply in love with every moment. Darien finally led her to the royal gardens, away from the prying eyes of the court. They walked through the gardens peacefully and finally stopped at the royal fountain, filled with crystal clear water. Darien sat down and motioned for Serena to do the same. 

"You're so different from all of the other girls I've met. You're nothing like them," he motioned in the direction of the ballroom, "You don't look at me like a prize or a hunk of meat. You look at me like a person, and I thank you." Darien blushed as he realized that he just poured out his heart to a near stranger but Serena didn't laugh at him. She decide one act deserved another in kind and started to make her own confession, 

"I also have to say that this is extremely different from what I'm used to. I'm used to being yelled at or mistreated. You're the first person I've met who hasn't complained about my clumsiness or treated me like a fool." Serena gasped in surprise as Darien kissed her gently and was even more surprised when he said, 

"I love you." Serena's heart soared with those three words and happily hugged him. 

"I love you, too," she replied while leaning in for another kiss. Darien complied then pulled back with a confused expression on his face. 

"You know, I feel as if we have met before. You think I would remember someone with meatballs in her hair." Serena's blue eyes widen when she realized that he was the stranger in the marketplace. _I called the prince a jerk!_ She didn't get to confirm his suspicions because a servant came into the garden and asked to speak to Darien. He apologized and spoke with the servant a few feet away from the fountain. 

"My prince, the king and queen request an audience with you and the Princess Serenity." 

"Of course. Tell them we'll be right there," Darien replied, turning toward Serena. At that moment the clock tower started to chime. Serena quickly realized that it was midnight and that she had to leave. NOW! 

Darien turned to see the back of Serena's head and quickly ran after her. Serena could hear the prince calling her name, but the chiming clock drowned his voice out. 

"Please, stop!" 

Serena made it to the front gate but tripped and fell onto the ground. Cursing her clumsiness, she quickly got back up, but not before one of her delicate glass shoes slipped off her foot. She paid it no heed and ducked into some bushes just as the clock struck twelve. Serena looked down to find herself back in her old dress, makeup and jewelry gone. She hid in the bush as the king's guards were deployed to find the missing maiden. 

When they were gone, Serena slowly rose to her feet but realized she was slightly off balanced. She looked down and saw that on one of her feet was encased in a small glass slipper. The blond girl took it off and examined it. She then smile and made her way back to her house. Her mother had given her one last gift: a keepsake of the most wonderful night of her life. 

The next morning, the entire castle was in a bustle. Prince Darien had ordered all the troops to look for his missing love, but they had no success in locating her. Heartbroken, he looked down at the only clue to her identity. The delicate glass slipper was far too small for most of the girls in the kingdom. Really, Darien doubted that anyone had feet that small. His brain suddenly came up with a brilliant plan. 

"I shall try this slipper on every girl in the kingdom and whomever it fits will be my bride," he announced to the guards. The news spread like wildfire through the kingdom and soon Galaxia and her daughters caught wind of it. 

"To think, all you have to do is fit into a shoe. The prince must be out of his mind. Anyway, girls, you must look stunning for the prince when he comes," said Galaxia while preparing her house for the royal visitor. Actually, she was just standing while Serena cleaned the house. She didn't mind, though. The blond servant was still on cloud nine from the night before. None of her evil relatives noticed, but as someone knocked on the outside door, Galaxia shoved Serena into the kitchen and locked the door. 

"It wouldn't do for the prince to see a rag doll like you," Aya said cruelly while her sister laughingly agreed. Serena could hear the prince come in and try the slipper on her stepsisters, but concerned herself with trying to escape. 

Aya was the first and pushed her foot with all her might into the shoe. She tried for a few minutes before Darien shook his head and the servant trying the shoe on pulled it off the girl's foot. Aya huffed as Kara pushed her out of the way and took her turn. Her foot was also too big and the prince sighed as he asked, 

"Are there any other women in the house?" Galaxia thought for a moment then pushed Kara off the couch and held her foot out. The servant was disgusted and quipped, 

"He meant _young_ women." Galaxia forcefully took the shoe from his hand and tried to put it on. When it didn't fit, Galaxia became so frustrated that she threw the shoe. The servant just barely grabbed it before it hit the ground. Darien sighed in relief then glared at Galaxia. 

"Come on, we're leaving," stated Darien coldly as he walked out the door, servant right behind him. Darien took the shoe from the servant's hands and was examining it when he felt something crash into him. He was so surprised that he dropped the shoe and it shattered into a million pieces. He looked up angrily, prepared to lash out at the person who destroyed the slipper. He found himself staring into two very familiar blue eyes. His anger got the best of him as he got up and he yelled at Serena. 

"Look what you have done! Now I'll never find her!" Galaxia and her daughters came out to see what was going on. Serena had found a way out of the kitchen through an open window and had been running away. She hadn't been looking where she was going and bumped into the prince. Her eyes filled with tears as he continued to shout at her. Galaxia made it worse by grabbing Serena forcefully and pushing her towards the house in order for Serena to be punished. Darien got a really good look at her and stopped Galaxia. 

"Wait a moment!" Dairen rushed to Serena's side and turned her to face him. She wouldn't look up at him so he gently pushed her chin up with his hand and looked into her tear filled eyes. He stepped back in surprise as he recognized her. 

"You're…. Princess Serenity!!" Galaxia and the others gasped when Serena nodded her head in confirmation. Darien immediately gathered her into his arms and started to apoligize, 

"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. Why did you…" Before Darien could finish, Serena's stepmother interrupted him. There was no way that that little ungrateful brat would be queen if she could help it. 

"Your highness, I must be honest with you. There is not way that our servant could be the one you're looking for. She is just lying to become your bride." Darien opened his mouth to protest but closed it again when he realized that she might be right. Serena quickly quelled any doubts he had when she reached into the pocket of her apron and pulled out the other glass slipper. Aya and Kara swooned in disappointment and Galaxia raged in silent anger as Darien placed the shoe one Serena's foot and kissed her passionately. As he led her away, Serena turned back to her family and called to them, 

"In my happiness, I forgive you all!" With that, Serena and Darien rode off to the castle to start their new life. Galaxia and her daughters never became better people and were miserable and hateful for the rest of their lives. Serena change her name back to Serenity and she and Darien got married in a grand ceremony. After being pronounced man and wife, Darien and Serenity ran down the aisle. Serenity tripped and lost her shoe, but Darien just laughed and carried her the rest of the way. The happy couple rode off into the sunset, destined to live happily ever after. 


	12. Bedtime Stories: Epilogue

**Epilogue: **

Serenity leaned over the bed and gently kissed her sleeping daughter good night. She and the rest of the Scouts were just about to leave when a crash sounded from Small Lady's closet, successfully waking the sleeping child. The Scouts moved into fighting stances while the queen moved back to protect her child. Sailor Midnight swung open the closet door only to have six males tumble out. Neo-King Darien, General Jedite, Knight Ken, Scribe Greg, Sage Chad, and Ambassador Andrew fell out of the closet, piling one on top of another. The Scouts backed off but still glared angrily at their mates. 

Midnight was the first one to start. A small giggle escaped her lips and she started to chuckle quietly. Her laughter was contagious and finally all the girls were rolling on the ground at the sight of Crystal Tokyo's heroes piled into a closet to hear bedtime stories. Neo Queen Serenity was the first to find her voice. 

"You hid in there all night?" The men nodded sheepishly, bowing their heads in mock shame. Amy, being the smart one, suddenly had a grand idea. She called all the girls, including Reeny into a huddle. She whispered her plan excitedly while the men looked nervously at one another. They all knew that they were in trouble now. 

The Senshi turned back to their lovers and Serenity spoke up, her voice serious but her eyes sparkling with mischief. 

"You will have to be punished. You listened to my story, even when I told you not to," she looked pointedly at Darien when she said this, "and to make things worse, woke up my daughter when she had finally gotten to sleep. Your punishment will fit the crime." The men cringed as Serenity and the Scouts grinned evilly. 

"You will have to put Reeny to bed every night for a week, starting tomorrow night." The men relaxed as they realized that their punishment wasn't that harsh. The Scouts exchanged a knowing smile as they were led out of Small Lady's room. They couldn't wait for tomorrow. 

The Scouts gathered in Serenity's bedroom the next night, celebrating the completion of their 'deal'. It was like an old fashion sleep over for them; each girl dressed in cute pajamas while they snacked on popcorn and watched a medium sized monitor in the corner of the room. Amy and Jennifer, both being technically inclined, had hooked up a small, hidden camera in Small Lady's room. They couldn't wait for the guys to try and put her to bed. 

The guys came in one by one, the last one carrying a wiggling Reeny into the room. Darien placed his daughter onto the bed and tried to tuck her in. 

"Now, sweetheart, go to bed." Reeny got an evil glint in her eyes and immediately jumped up and started to run around. The men groaned and tried to chase her. The Scouts, who were watching everything, burst out into hysterical laughter. Their laughter only increased as they heard Reeny propose a 'deal' similar to their own. The guys' arrangement had a slight catch to it: none of the men could tell the same story the any of the Scouts did. The men looked in horror at the small child, each one realizing that the task would be a lot harder than he thought. The girls clapped excitedly as Greg shook Reeny's hand and sealed the deal and curled around the monitor, anticipating the first story. After all, each one of the Scouts was a child at heart and loved to hear fairy tales. 

"Once upon a time…" 

The End.

Yeah!! That's all finished. I'm debating on whether to do a sequel or not. Because of the relative lack of response to this fic, probably not but you never know. Email me with suggestions, comments, complaints, flames, etc. I love to get email. Thanks for reading!! 


	13. Teaser for the sequel of Bedtime Stories

Okay, ya'll talked me into writing a sequel. Unfortunately, I can't think of enough stories for all the guys to tell. I'll give you people the prologue to the next one now in exchange for some story ideas. Think of it as a teaser to sequel. I can't guarantee that I'm going to use your idea, but I'll try. Email me at jennybeth@cox.net or just put them in your reviews for this story. I don't know when I'll finish it, but as soon as I do, I'll post it up under it's own title.

Thanks for everyone whose read and reviewed!! Luv ya guys!! Hope you like this little teaser.

Prologue: Not again...

From deep inside her hiding place, the fearsome monster smiled at her unsuspecting prey. Her head filled with hundreds of ways to torture them before going in for the kill, but she decided to take the easiest and most straightforward one. With her decision made, the troublesome creature bounded out and attacked.

The poor man never saw it coming and he was down before he could make a sound. The others turned to see their fallen companion tackled to the ground by a pink-haired toddler. The little girl wasted no time in proclaiming her victory.

"I got you, Uncle Andrew! I got you!" Small Lady shouted, raising her arms in triumph. Andrew just groaned as his friends laughed at him. Darien rescued his friend from the cheering toddler by picking her up and placing her back into her messy bed. 

The guys had been trying for the past hour to get the small princess to go to bed, but she continued to refuse to settle down. Greg had suggested everything from warm milk (which Reeny claimed she hated) to singing lullabies (Reeny covered her ears and cried until the guys stopped). They had exhausted every possibility and were very close to bringing in the big guns: the Scouts. Yes, even the unthinkable thought of begging the girls for help crossed their minds, but they had dismissed that idea almost as fast as Chad suggested it. If the Senshi had to rescue their lovers from Small Lady, the men would never hear the end of it.

Reeny decided that her uncles were ready to bend to her demands so she, in her most innocent voice, issued her requests.

"Daddy, do you really want to know what I want?" The men froze and turned all their attention to the little girl. "I want each of you to tell me a bedtime story, just like Mommy and my aunts did. But, they also have to be different than theirs; hearing the same story twice is just boring. Anyway, if you promise me to tell me, I'll go to bed right away."

The guys didn't know how to reply to the small girl's demand. They looked at each other and got into a semi-huddle. After a few moments of debate, they parted and faced the princess. Greg moved forward, hand outstretched,

"Okay, Small Lady, we agree to your demands." He shook her small hand and she giggled in delight. Reeny immediately plowed beneath the covers of her bed and snuggled in, waiting for the first story. The men looked at each other again and slumped in defeat. Darien was the first to voice their main concern.

"So, who goes first?"

"Why don't we go in the same order as the girls. I mean, we'll go in the same order as our wives, if that makes any sense," stated Greg. They nodded in agreement then looked at Reeny with questioning eyes.

"Auntie Venus went first," the small girl said, looking at her Uncle Andrew. The blond man moaned; he had no idea what to tell. After looking around the room for an escape and finding none, Andrew sat down next to Small Lady and sighed. He suddenly got a wonderful idea for a story and started with the customary,

"Once upon a time…"


End file.
